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Alan Jary, The Society’s Vice Chairman, has written to the Council and others to express the Society’s views about the Council’s intentions with regard to the Corn Exchange:
THE BURY ST EDMUNDS SOCIETY
A proposal for the future use of The Corn Exchange
The application by St Edmundsbury Borough Council for a change of use to a drinking establishment has certainly aroused opinions from the people of Bury St Edmunds, as shown by the many letters in the local papers, most of which are hostile to the change for a variety of reasons.
Once the decision was taken to build The Apex the Corn Exchange was always going to be surplus to requirements. In the summer of 2009, the Bury Society was invited by St Edmundsbury Borough Council to look at alternative uses for the building. Our original thoughts were based on some type of indoor market, including mixed markets, craft markets, food markets and antique markets, but these are not our preferred option. In an ideal world we may well have chosen one of these or recommended a gallery of some sort.
Our research and discussions produced a Draft Plan for a Business Design Centre.
This would be a very modern centre for creative and emerging business to develop by promotion and co-operation, together with having a public shop window where training, and development could evolve, creating employment and making the centre a designated attraction to the centre of town. We have asked the council to fund a full feasibility study at a cost of £7,000, which would be lead by a leading firm of interior design architects.
The Council are marketing the building and are inviting offers from commercial companies and community groups. In the prospectus it is stated that costs arising as a public hall, which any tenant would be expected to cover and some additional exterior costs, give a total of £70,000.00. We are pleased to see that the council takes into account, Well-being. i.e. value to the community as opposed to just the best financial offer.
Well-being can, of course, be valued in two opposing ways;
Negative e.g. a potential user putting other people out of business and increasing unemployment, nuisance value of trading times, a use where considerable amounts of stock is constantly being delivered adding to the traffic problems of the area.
Positive e.g. employment creation, public access during business hours, part community use, no increase in traffic, enhancing town’s commercial activity attracting further growth.
The Bury Society has discussed the proposition with members of The Town Council and Town Centre Management, who have offered their support, and we hope to gain the support of West Suffolk College, Menta, Chamber of Commerce and other interest groups in the near future. All of these organisations and others, will, we hope contribute in a variety of ways to ensure the project is a community one and is successful.
The Society is opposed to the Council’s planning application since we do not think that this building is suitable for a public house open from 7:00 a.m.(a possible tenant’s new opening times) until 2:00 a.m. The application would negate St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s saturation policy on drinking premises, since there are currently 40 drinking outlets within this designated area, with the Corn Exchange in the heart of it. We are submitting an application for change of use to business/ office, which we consider a more appropriate use.
We believe there is another way forward for this fine building, which has already been cannibalised by the 1960’s redevelopment, We have an opportunity to create a vibrant embryonic centre for the creation and promotion of new businesses. Business which can develop and use the conference facilities of The Apex as they grow, businesses that can develop and grow with mutual support, and not be isolated in a unit somewhere on the edge of town, business lead by local people seeking to employ their talent and skills to build their future.
The Corn Exchange was built to enable local traders to meet, to trade and to create a healthy commercial environment and this supported the town for many years. Changing practices brought its original use to a close. Now is the time to use it again to encourage trade, employment, and business development for the benefit of our local economy.
This fine building belongs to the town.
As our elected councillors you administer and manage it on our behalf. We must know the full facts and figures, since we want you to make your decisions confident that you represent us, the electorate. We ask that you meet us, the people of Bury St Edmunds, in the Corn Exchange and tell us all, the projected income, job creation, traffic consequences with a view to allaying our concerns. Following this, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss these openly when hopefully we would have been better informed from the information that you would have provided. You can then take this forward, knowing you are making your decisions based on the desires and opinions of your electorate. This would demonstrate real democracy in action.
The Corn Exchange has a Bar, let us meet at the close of business and raise our glasses to democracy, community and partnership.
Alan Jary
March 2010
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