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arc Shopping Centre, Bury St Edmunds

About

arc shopping centre is a shopping centre in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England, developed by the Centros. Centros made an £85 million commercial investment in the development of arc, while the council made a £23 million investment in the car park and the venue – ‘Apex’. The regional development agency, EEDA, also provided a £1.5 million grant, mainly towards the cost of the venue. The land – the majority of the freehold being owned by the council – was passed to Centros on a long lease. Following the initial master planning consultation, Centros and St Edmundsbury Borough Council signed a development agreement in June 2003, committing to the use of a nationally renowned architect and the delivery of a number of elements including a department store, a civic building and at least 30 residential units. This agreement was revised in 2005 to include a multi-purpose venue as an integral part of the scheme. The mall is anchored by Next, New Look and Wagamama, as well as multi brand retailer H&M.

History

The cattle market site was first identified for the town centre’s retail expansion more than 20 years ago, but such developments in sensitive market towns like Bury St Edmunds take real determination to deliver. The town has had at least one market since before the Norman Conquest, though the cattle market site developed to create arc was then largely gardens and meadows. From Norman times the Abbey controlled the town’s markets – including the present market place in Cornhill and Buttermarket. However, in 1539, the Abbey was dissolved and control of the markets passed to the Crown. Then in 1608, James I granted the town a second charter of incorporation, which included control over the markets and ownership of the market cross. More than two centuries later – on 30th April 1828 – the cattle market was moved from the market place to St Andrews Street South. This move gave rise to a riot – which perhaps could be taken as an indicator of the need for consultation before implementing change! In 1987 – after many years of debate and planning – St Edmundsbury Borough Council agreed that the cattle market site should be redeveloped to expand the town’s shopping provision, and in September 1990, Chartwell Land was selected to develop the site. However, the council later decided not to proceed with the Chartwell scheme. In April 1998, the council set up a working party to consider the development of the site once again, and later that year the cattle market closed for good. This time Centros was selected in July 2001 and it Painting in Moyse’s Hall Museum: the market place c.1700 successfully delivered arc in 2009.

Opening
At 9.30am on Thursday 5th March 2009, the new public square and new streets of arc were officially opened by the Mayor of Bury St Edmunds, Councillor Bob Cockle. He performed a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony in Charter Square, watched by all those who had played a major part in the scheme’s creation. This party also included winners of a regional competition that saw 100 VSPs (“Very Special People”) selected to be the first members of the public to see the region’s new shopping hub. Of these 100, one lucky person won a £1,000 shopping spree. The wider public poured in an hour later and were entertained by acrobats and street performers along with live radio broadcasting, courtesy of Heart FM and its ‘Angels’. Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, Deputy Leader of St Edmundsbury Borough Council, commented at the time: “The opening of arc is a historic day for Bury St Edmunds and is great news or the local economy, which will be given a real boost as a result of new jobs and increased numbers of visitors and shoppers. That Bury St Edmunds can boast such a fantastic line-up of retailers, the likes of which have never had an opportunity to trade in this town, is testament to the quality of the development and the standard to which it has been delivered.” Opening of the four residential elements of arc followed over the next few months of 2009, while the complex fitting-out work continued in the Apex venue – which is scheduled to open in autumn 2010.