Strong demand for new apartments at town centre redevelopment

28 Jul 2022

New apartments in the redevelopment of the former Post Office in Bury St Edmunds are now on market – with half of them already under offer.

West Suffolk Council is behind the redevelopment at 17-18 Cornhill, Bury St Edmunds, which was vacated by the Post Office in 2016. 

The redevelopment keeps the Victorian Cornhill front, bringing it back into use, widens Market Thoroughfare at ground floor level by more than 50 per cent to 3.8m, and creates a new commercial frontage onto St Andrews Street South.

It includes two ground floor commercial units with 12 apartments above. Those apartments are being marketed by Bedfords Estate Agents. Offers have already been accepted for six of the apartments.

Paul Bedford from Bedfords Estate Agents said: “We know that there is high demand for high quality accommodation such as this in the heart of the town centre, so we are not surprised to see such early interest. Bury St Edmunds is very much in demand as a destination and as a place where people want to live and work. Its wonderful surroundings, the town centre heritage and culture, low crime rate and its location in relation to London and Cambridge all add to its attraction. We are expecting strong interest in the remaining apartments.”

Cllr Sarah Broughton, Cabinet Member for Resources and Property at West Suffolk Council said: “We are delighted with the interest so far in these apartments which is in line with our own and the market’s expectations and enables us to deliver the wider benefits to the town centre. The interest in these apartments reinforces our belief that Bury St Edmunds town centre continues to be a place that people want to come to, whether that is as a place to live, to work, or a place to visit for the fantastic array or leisure, culture, heritage, restaurants, café and shops. Our investment will also deliver additional affordable housing in the town, helping toward a mix of housing needs.”

Due for completion later this year, the construction team behind the Cornhill redevelopment include Barnes Construction, Concertus as the contractor appointed architect, and Superstructures as the structural engineer. The scheme follows on from many of the 8,000 public comments that helped shape the town centre masterplan in 2017. Many of those comments referred to widening Market Thoroughfare and making improvements to St Andrews Street South to better integrate and ensure maximum footfall between the arc and the Cornhill and Buttermarket parts of the historic town centre. The council held a public exhibition of concept designs in 2018, which received overwhelming public support.

Cllr Susan Glossop, West Suffolk Council’s Cabinet Member for Growth, said: “The marketing of these apartments represents another major milestone as this important town centre investment nears completion. The sale of the apartments helps make possible the improvements to Market Thoroughfare, St Andrews St South and the restoration on the historic Cornhill front, so it is pleasing to hear there is already such strong interest. We have also had interest in the two commercial units and we are looking forward to seeing the work on these finalised over the coming weeks. Once complete, it is our hope and ambition, that our new commercial units including the one fronting onto St Andrews St South that we have created, will encourage other landowners and developers to invest in revitalising this street scene to the benefit of the town centre."

New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership was awarded £32.1m through the Government’s Getting Building Fund, including £2.75m for the Cornhill project.

C J Green, Chair of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Revitalising our city and town centres and making them attractive places to live, work and visit is going to be play a key role in making them more resilient in the future, and it is great to hear about the strong early demand for these properties at the former post office site.”

For more on the project visit www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/cornhill 

For enquiries on the apartments contact Bedfords on 01284 769 999.

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