News

Transport and the Western By Pass

Peter Grimm of Suffolk County Council addressed the Chamber in July and gave us an update on traffic plans in town. In particular, he explained the state of the western relief road. As most of us are aware, Suffolk County Council put the case for a relief road to the government some years ago, and the application was rejected. The County Council has been working behind the scenes and is continuing to work on the scheme. However, road schemes are now funded regionally, and the Eastern region has seriously restricted funds.

On September 6th, Peter organised a tour round Sudbury for members of the Council's Roads and Scrutiny Committee. John McMillan took part in this tour, as did the Mayor, Town Clerk and officers of Suffolk and Babergh councils. Peter took the party through the Market Hill, down Cross Street and through Church Street and back through the Market Hill and King Street. The party then proceeded to the Kingfisher and along the Valley Walk to Rodbridge.

The tour was a great success. The county councillors all realised just how serious a problem we have. Speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times, one described the situation in Sudbury as abysmal and said there is a desparate need for a bypass. There are still many obstacles to overcome, Essex and Braintree councils have to be presuaded to drop their opposition to the road, the government may have to balance concerns for wildlife against the residents, and funding still has to be obtained. But the situation is more hopeful than for many years.

Market Towns Partnership and Retail Development

Tom McConnell's main project is his work promoting a new retail development on the bus station site. Both Babergh District Council and Sudbury Town Council have committed to this project and have employed Tom to progress it. A large meeting was held at Babergh offices in the Spring. This was attended by Babergh officers, Tom McConnel, and representatives of Sudbury Town Council, the Sudbury Society and Suffolk Preservation Society. John McMillan and Laurence Wilshire represented the Chamber, and Robin Drury was also there. The meeting discussed the planning implications and agreed a strategy to take the project forward.

Unfortunately, McCarthy and Stone, who own part of the site, submitted a planning application to build old peoples' flats on that part of the site. The application was refused but McCarthy and Stone have lodged an appeal. This will be heard later in September, and John McMillan will represent the Chamber's views.

Business Lunches

We meet on the second Wednesday of every month at the Quay Theatre. The cost is low, there is always a speaker on a topic of some interest and it is a great way to network and meet other businessmen.

The January briefing was one of the better ones. We decided to visit one of Sudbury's interesting companies, in this case, Mauldon's brewery. A thoroughly enjoyable meeting!

Future meetings are:

12 September	Andrew Manig Programme Business Advisor, Ipswich & Suffolk Enterprise Agency	The Importance of Business Planning
10 October	David Holt Bates Wells & Braithwaite	The Company Act 2007
14 November	The Sudbury Learning Centre	Adult education in Sudbury - opportunities for business

Bookings for all the above can be made with Michael Heyland on 01787 227722 or on chamber@sudbury.org.uk.

The Web Site

The web site goes from strength to strength, with up to 4000 visitors a month. We now allow members to advertise on the site. Contact Michael Heyland for details.

Retail in Sudbury

Retail continues to hold up, the best news being Marks & Spencer opening the Simply Food branch in Sudbury. Sadly Derek and Maggie Kisby retired at Christmas, resulting in the closure of E.W. King, one of our oldest established shops.
Fat Face have moved into the old E.W. King Shop and Dolland and Aitchinson have opened in the Market Hill. Also, Wetherspoons have invested more than a million pounds refurbishing the old Coop store.