St Edmundsbury Core Strategy (December 2010)

5 Strategy for Bury St Edmunds5.1 This nationally significant historic market town will be the main focus for thelocation of new development, in accordance with its role as a Key Centre forDevelopment and Change in the East of England Plan. Its strategic location onthe A14, midway between the Cambridge Growth Area and the Haven GatewayGrowth Point make it ideally placed to grow in a sustainable manner while playingan important role in the settlement hierarchy of the region. The town hasaccommodated a consistent level of growth for many years, averaging 225 newhomes a year since 1991, but failure to resolve the infrastructure issues identifiedin the RSS will have a significantly detrimental impact on the further growth of thelocal economy.5.2 It is estimated that, by 2031, we will need to find sites for at least 3,500 newhomes, over and above those that are already identified in the Local Plan or arebeing built at the moment. However, this will be dependent upon the capacity ofthe natural and built environment to accommodate this growth withoutunacceptable damage being caused and the ability of existing or plannedinfrastructure to cope with the development, particularly in the longer term.5.3 The medieval historic core, with its high quality architecture andarchaeological heritage is of exceptional value. It will be essential for developmentto respect this heritage and avoid any detrimental impact on its unique fabric.This should include careful consideration of indirect impacts or pressures, forinstance, from increased traffic or for development that is out of scale or characterwith the centre. There may be a need for additional shopping and leisure floorspace in the town centre, which should remain the focus for such uses and theArea Action Plan will identify how such needs might be accommodated. Inaddition, the countryside around the town plays an important role in separatingthe urban area from the surrounding villages and this policy of separation will bemaintained.5.4 The A14 trunk road and the railway, while making the town highly accessiblewithin the region, act as significant barriers to movement within in the town. Thecentral and eastern junctions (43 and 44) are at capacity at peak times making itdifficult to travel from north of the A14 to the town centre. There are fewopportunities to cross the A14 and the railway by foot or cycle, thereby increasingreliance on the motor car to gain access from northern suburbs to the towncentre.5.5 It is proposed to prepare an Area Action Plan for the whole of Bury StEdmunds as part of the Local Development Framework. The Area Action Plan willprovide a more detailed framework for managing the long-term sustainablegrowth of the town and work commenced on this in late 2009.5.6 Across the town there will need to be a balanced approach to catering formotorised journeys and other methods of travel in order to manage levels ofcongestion, air quality and road safety. The delivery of sustainable transportsolutions should remain a high priority and measures to reduce out-commuting,especially by car, will be encouraged.5.7 The provision of good quality green infrastructure will remain a high priority,as will the need to address localised issues of deprivation and the incidence ofcrime. In particular, the lack of accessible good quality open spaces in the northwestof the town will need to be addressed by the Area Action Plan. In addition,the future growth of West Suffolk College/University Campus Suffolk, the potential64