Changing Places facilities to be delivered as part of refurbishment

19 Dec 2024

Much-needed Changing Places facilities in Bury St Edmunds town centre are to be delivered as part of a £400,000 major refurbishment of the Abbey Gardens toilets.

Work is due to start from Monday 6 January to strip out and replace the existing facilities. Temporary toilets will be in place during the entirety of the six-month project.

It’s the first major works to the toilets since they were built in the 1980s. As well as replacing existing men and women’ toilets, the work will also include installing a Changing Places facility. These are different to standard disabled toilets as they are designed for people who need the help of a carer and have extra facilities as well as more space to meet people’s needs.

The Abbey Gardens along with St Edmundsbury Cathedral and St Mary’s Church, is part of the wider former Abbey of St Edmund a site of historical, cultural and religious significance.

The gardens are managed by West Suffolk Council as part of its strategic priorities for Environmental Resilience through its biodiversity, sustainable growth through its role as a tourist attraction and for Thriving Communities supporting people’s health and wellbeing as well as access to cultural heritage. 

On top of this the gardens are hugely popular both with local residents and tourist attracting 1.3 million visits a year and regularly named as one of the top free attractions in the country.

Cllr Diane Hind, Cabinet Member for Resources at West Suffolk Council said: “The delivery of these much-needed Changing Places facilities in Bury St Edmunds town centre – facilities we have already installed as part of Mildenhall Hub and our refurbishment of toilets at The Guineas in Newmarket, will help cater for the needs of all people with dignity and respect.

“We recognise six-months is a long time to be without these public conveniences, but they haven’t been refurbished since the late 1980s and we will be making major improvements.

“We are starting these early in the New Year and during the quieter months so that the improvements can be completed ahead of the summer when the gardens will welcome many more visitors.”

As well as the temporary toilets that will be in place, other toilets are available next to the council’s car park at Ram Meadow, and in the arc.

---