Plans to build 64 flats on Thingoe Hill, Bury St Edmunds, alongside the A14 are abandoned/withdrawn

Long-running plans to build two blocks on flats on disused Bury St Edmunds land alongside the A14 have been abandoned/withdrawn.

In January 2021, City and Suburban Homes applied to West Suffolk Council to build 64 flats – including 30 per cent affordable – 60 parking spaces and 136 cycle bays built on a disused industrial site on Thingoe Hill, alongside the A14.

The application sparked concerns about the future of a World War Two pillbox located at the site, the ‘uncharacteristic’ appearance of the flats, the potential medieval archaeological interest of the site and car parking.

Pillboxes are concrete structures which were used to provide strategic defence agaist invasion. Thingoe Hill pillbox (type FW3/22AA) is also equipped with an anti-aircraft gun facility and appears on the EDOB (Extended Defence of Britain database), after being registered by the Pillbox Study Group.

One Bury resident, who objected to the plans in 2021, highlighted Thingoe Hill’s long history and previous use as a location for executions.

He added: “What little open space is left on Thingoe Hill should be preserved for its historical significance.”

Meanwhile, Suffolk County Council’s archaeological service, referring to the pillbox, said in 2021: “This pillbox is a significant part of the World War Two history of Bury, therefore every effort should be made to preserve it.”

However, planning documents show little progress on the plans in the intervening years and yesterday planners listed the scheme as withdrawn/abandoned.