Barnes gets going in Bury St Edmunds

The £8.4m high street redevelopment project will demolish the rear of the building at 17-18 Cornhillto make way for 12 flats and two commercial units, while retaining the Victorian frontage.

The building has been vacant since the post office relocated in November 2016. Barnes Construction was appointed as the pre-construction contractor for West Suffolk Council back in December 2018.

Work on site finally started in September 2020, starting with a façade retention designed by Barnes Construction’s appointed designer, Concertus Design & Property Consultants.

Construction consultant Perfect Circle – a joint venture of  Pick Everard, Gleeds and Aecom – is providing West Suffolk Council with quantity surveying, project management, and structural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering and architectural advisory services.

The build will improve links in Bury St Edmunds’ old town centre, around Cornhill and Buttermarket and the shopping centre, by widening the adjoining walkway.

Victoria Brambini, managing director of Perfect Circle, said: “The new, mixed-use development will bring many benefits to the town centre, including residential and commercial units that will act as a catalyst for community regeneration. It will also help to rejuvenate the local economy and aesthetically improve the overall environment of the shopping district in Bury St Edmunds.”

Council leader John Griffiths said: “It is a challenging time for our residents, businesses and indeed the council, but we are continuing to invest in the long-term future of West Suffolk and Bury St Edmunds town centre as a place of economic, social and cultural activity.

“Furthermore, we are delivering on what people asked for when they helped to shape the vision for the town centre in the masterplan in 2017.

“Once completed this will deliver so much, including a better and wider walkway between the arc and the historic town centre, as well as a new commercial frontage onto St Andrews Street South and improved access to the historic Cornhill front.”

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