Construction imminent on overhaul of Bury St Edmunds

Taylor Woodrow Construction (TWC) has been awarded a £47m contract to develop a mixed-use scheme on the former Cattle Market in Bury St Edmunds by Centros Miller and St Edmundsbury Borough Council.

The scheme will extend the town centre by forming two new shopping streets and a new public square. The 12-acre (4.8 hectare) development will include a Debenhams, 35 new shops, 62 apartments, a public venue building and 800 parking spaces. The scheme is already over 65% let with other retailers to have signed up including Topshop/Topman, H&M, River Island, Monsoon/Accessorize, New Look, Wallis, Next, HMV and Waterstones.

Geothermal energy will be used to heat and cool the new venue in the form of 80m+ deep boreholes providing an environmentally-friendly alternative to fossil fuels, which is projected to save the council an estimated £20,000 per year in energy and maintenance costs.

Construction is due to start on site in the next few weeks and will last for around two years. The project team includes Hopkins Architects (architects); WSP (transport consultants & structural engineers); PDCM (project managers); Montagu Evans (planning consultants); Gleeds (cost consultants); and Macfarlanes (solicitors).