The Friendly Loaf in Nowton fears closure as A134 Sicklesmere Road works near Bury St Edmunds continue
A bakery owner fears his business may be forced to close as ongoing weekend closures of a key road continue near Bury St Edmunds.
Mark Proctor, who opened The Friendly Loaf bakery in Low Green, Nowton, in 2010, has said that the ongoing closures of the A134 Sicklesmere Road could force his business to shut by Easter — unless something changes.
His concerns come amid fresh talks about the planned weekend closures for roundabout construction as part of the Abbots Vale development, as well as new concerns over plans to change the number of houses which need to be occupied before a planned relief road and roundabout upgrades are complete.
“Whatever way you look at it, it just doesn’t make any sense,” Mark said. “I just cannot comprehend why you would shut this road and I do not understand how it can take this long to build a roundabout.
“It has been a really challenging time for us. Our trade has gone completely south — its just too hard for people to get to us, and if the roads aren’t open by Easter, it could very well be the end.”
Dr Peter Prinsley, MP for Bury and Stowmarket, recently chaired a meeting with Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Highways and Hopkins Homes to discuss residents' concerns.
The MP said developers listened to the concerns, including how the bakery has struggled to operate, and that regular meetings will be held to monitor the situation. However, Mark believes the communication so far has been lacking.
He said: “There was no consultation on shutting the road — we weren’t visited, we had no notice.
“Obviously we will keep fighting and keep going, and we are really grateful for the support we have had from people in the village, but sadly that can only go so far.
“We are going to have to look at Suffolk County Council who made this decision and they are going to have put their hands in their pockets to make up for this shortfall.”
The first weekend closure, from February 21 to February 23, sparked concerns as motorists used Hawstead Lane as a rat run to avoid the official 43-mile diversion set by Suffolk Highways.
The A134 will be fully closed again from 8pm tonight as engineers continue work on the roundabout which Hopkins Homes claims is ‘progressing well’.
A spokesperson from Hopkins Homes said: “Construction on the new roundabout and associated works is progressing well and remains on schedule. We continue to closely monitor progress and make adjustments where necessary to minimise disruption.
“Alongside Suffolk Highways, we’ve had valuable conversations with Peter Prinsley MP, parish councils, businesses, and community members over recent days and remain committed to working together to minimise the impact of the closures.
“We can confirm that our teams carried out work throughout the first weekend closure, including key operations such as drainage installation and surface preparation. Operatives worked overnight on the Friday completing essential preparatory works to maximise production over the weekend, and on Sunday evening to test and commission the completed works.
“During these overnight periods, work may be less visible, but this schedule has been carefully planned to optimise productivity, maintain the highest quality standards and allow sufficient time for materials to settle properly.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of everyone affected by the works. If any issues arise, we will continue to address them as a priority.”
Concerns have now also been raised after Hopkins Homes and Denbury Homes sought an amendment over the number of homes that need to be occupied before a relief road connecting the A134 to Roughham Hill, and roundabout upgrades at Southgate Green, are completed.
It has been requested the number of homes be increased from 200 to 375 homes for the relief road, and 675 homes, instead of 550 for the roundabout.
Hawstead resident Henry Brewis said: “I think they should have built this relief road and addressed the infrastructure before they started doing anything.
“I just think this feels like more chaos could be waiting round the corner.
“Everyone I have spoken to is worried about this entire situation, we do not understand how Hopkins Homes has been able to get away with spending so long carrying out these works — and now it seems like they are delaying it even further.”
Nowton resident Henry Hopking said: “It’s deeply insulting. The developers are completely ignoring the significant impact this is having on residents and local businesses right now.
“If they truly want to work with the community, as they claim, their priority should be completing the project, not delaying it further. The actions of the developers are not those of a business listening to a community.
“Is this amendment being proposed for genuine logistical reasons, or is it simply an attempt to further maximise the developers’ financial gain in response to a downturn in house sales?
“In my view, the trigger level to build the connected relief road should be reduced, not increased.”
Henry said he was also very disappointed that the public cannot submit feedback on the application through West Suffolk Council’s planning portal.
This is because it is classified as a ‘non-material amendment’, meaning there is no consultation process — leaving the decision in the hands of the planning authority.
Regarding the variations, Robert Eburne, planning manager of Denbury Homes, said: “The original programme of works was based on traffic impact surveys and modelling carried out in 2015.
“These predictions have been updated to account for differences in actual peak traffic flow when compared against the models. The findings suggest these trigger points and therefore the associated roadworks can now move further into the future.”
Mr Edburne said this change in schedule will mean that site-related roadworks will not follow on from one another, helping to ease disruption for motorists.
“This will bring welcome respite to road users,” he said. “The additional time between phases of roadwork will also allow further transport assessments to be carried out and could potentially reduce future disruption.”
County Cllr Karen Soons added: “I am working with parish councils and residents to ensure road closures and diversions work better and in a more joined up way than they did during the first weekend of closures.
“The planning conditions around these works would have been managed in a far more effective way than they have been.
“I am coordinating robust feedback to the Highways department and the developer where systems are evidenced as falling short.”
Cllr Soons is encouraging residents to report all their concerns and any incidents through the Highways reporting tool, which can be found here: www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/highway-maintenance/report-a-highways-issue
The weekend closures of the A134 will be from 8pm on Fridays to 5am on Mondays on the following dates: March 7 to 10, March 21 to 24, March 28 to 31, April 4 to 7, April 11 to 14, April 25 to 28, and May 2 to 5.
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