Issue 4                        16 August 2004

Still time to win NY weekend!

There's still time to win a long weekend in New York - flights for two, four nights in a hotel plus 500 US dollars to spend - if you come up with the winning name for the new cinema in Bury St Edmunds.

You can pick up entry forms at St Edmundsbury Borough Council offices, Tourist Information Centre on Angel Hill or Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre. You can also enter online - download the form and send it or simply fill it in online and email it.

The closing date for entries is 27 August. For more details go to www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk and click on the homepage icon.

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Temporary car park changes

While Anglian Water is moving a water main out of the way, ready for work on the cinema to start, there will be some temporary changes in access to the Parkway surface and multi-deck car park.

From 16August the car park entrance will be closed and access will be from Chalk Road North (along Parkway, left at roundabout into Risbygate Street and then left, past the B&Q entrance). The exit will remain the same.

Lane closures in Parkway and the temporary closure of part of Kings Road is also planned for September and October - information is on our website and through this newsletter nearer the time.

Listening . . .

Never has a project had such widespread consultation in our borough as the plans to redevelop the former Cattle Market site in the town centre. Instead of waiting until the planning application was submitted, this scheme has involved consultation at every stage.

And our thanks go to all those who have responded to the consultation by Centros Miller and our own, through the planning process. The level of response proves that the effort which has gone into making the consultation as wide as possible has been worthwhile.

The latest round of consultation has included:

• widespread coverage in the local media
• telephone hotline
• six information panels on the site
• project website with online feedback
• 10-day public exhibition
• presentations and workshops
• 50,000 leaflets with reply-paid cards distributed through the exhibition, schools, council offices, organisations and maildrop.

All the above is voluntary consultation, over and above that which is legally required, carried out and funded by the developer.

The leaflet was delivered by the same company that delivers our own Community Spirit, using various teams (similar to those who deliver free newspapers). The delivery company carried out extensive checking by telephone which proved the majority reached their destination.

More than 1200 responses have been received by Halogen - a company experienced in wide scale development consultations across the country and which is running the process for Centros Miller. Halogen's Steve Bryson said: "Having organised many such consultations across the country I can assure you this represents a high level of response for a town the size of Bury St Edmunds."

. . . and learning

So what happens now? The feedback has clearly identified a number of concerns and Centros Miller is already working on tackling these. The developer, working with the council, is now moving forward from this stage of consultation.

The whole point about consultation is to listen and learn. As a direct result of the latest consultation phase it is likely that a revised scheme will be revealed in the coming weeks, with further consultation on that.

Once again, thank you to all those who responded, in whatever way. Watch out in the local media, and through this newsletter, for more information on any amended plans.

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Markets in Bury St Edmunds

Not only is the provision market in Bury St Edmunds one of the most successful traditional street markets in the country today, it also has one of the longest and most colourful histories.

At various times it has been split into several sections, including provisions, a corn market, livestock and a fish market.

In 1828 townspeople apparently rioted when the cattle market was moved from the town centre on to the site behind what is now Boots.

Check out www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk to find out more about the history of Bury St Edmunds from around the year 630.

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Town centre impact

Naturally there have been concerns expressed, from both shoppers and retailers alike, about the likely impact a new development such as the one proposed for the Cattle Market site, will have on the town centre.

A study was carried out before any development plans were made which showed there is significant interest in the town from traders not already represented here. It also highlighted the continuing growth in shopping facilities in neighbouring towns and cities - drawing more towards them and away from Bury St Edmunds.

As part of the planning application a retail assessment was made of the town which shows that around one fifth of the money people have to spend currently goes to Cambridge, Norwich and Ipswich, with a further chunk going to Colchester. The council has employed its own experts in retail assessment to check the accuracy of this, and other statements made in the assessment.

In carrying out retail assessments, consideration is given to the likely economic impact of the proposal on the town centre itself and other nearby shopping centres, including the consideration of the cumulative effects of recently completed developments and outstanding planning permissions.  To assess the current health of the town centre, indicators referred to in the Government’s Planning Policy Guidance Note 6 are often used and companies such as Goad provide useful information on, for example, the proportion of vacant properties and the diversity of uses in the town centre. 

An assessment will also include a detailed analysis of current population and its available expenditure and the projected population and its available expenditure to estimate both the current and future floorspace requirements of the town centre and how this compares to the proposal. Information sources for such data include Census information, and from companies such as MapInfo and Experian.

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Newsletter

This newsletter is from St Edmundsbury Borough Council, owner of the Cattle Market redevelopment site. Please forward it to anyone you think may be interested in the topic, or contact me if you wish to be taken off the distribution list: marianne.hulland@stedsbc.gov.uk

The decision on Centros Miller's planning application will be taken by St Edmundsbury's Development Control Committee later this year.