Preparation of the Bury St Edmunds MAP

The  draft Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Masterplan (MAP) was prepared in four main stages. The first stage was analysis and review of all existing information about the town centre. The second stage (Issues and Options) was the identification of key issues facing the town centre and options for how the MAP might address those. This stage was subject to extensive public consultation and engagement.

Stage three (this stage) was the production of the draft MAP, which suggested aspirations directly based on the results and public comments from the Issues and Options consultation. This Draft MAP was also subject to further consultation and engagement. The fourth and final stage were revisions to the MAP based on the outcomes of this consultation. This produced a final masterplan which was adopted by the council as a supplementary planning document (SPD), setting out our aspirations subject to deliverability.

Production of the MAP was overseen by a Working Group comprising elected members from St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Bury St Edmunds Town Council and Suffolk County Council. The Working Group also included representatives from Bury Society, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce (in Bury St Edmunds), Our Bury St Edmunds (Business Improvement District), Bury St Edmunds Town Trust, the Market Traders Association and St Edmundsbury Cathedral. A consultant team comprising David Lock Associates and Peter Brett Associates supported St Edmundsbury Borough Council in producing the MAP.

It has been shaped with input from the Bury Assembly of Associations, representing all residents associations in the town, the Bury Accessibility Group consisting of a range of organisations representing people with additional needs, and Suffolk MIND through their Suffolk’s Needs Met wellbeing model. This has helped to ensure that an inclusive range of mobility, health and wellbeing considerations have been built into this work all aspects of the MAP from the start.