Sudbury Belle Vue Park café and toilet block construction delayed after ‘number of construction issues’ found

Plans for a new café and toilet block in a Sudbury park have been delayed.

Babergh District Council had hoped to open the café and toilets at Belle Vue Park by the end of the year.

The new building will replace the former ageing toilet block, built in the 1930s.

However, the council says that a ‘number of issues’ have been discovered during the construction, which need to be fixed first.

A spokesperson said: “The café and toilets are part of the same building and originally we hoped that it would be built and open by the end of the year.

“But because we’ve identified a number of issues that need to be resolved at the same time, we are now looking at spring/summer next year.”

The café and toilet block plan was agreed by the district council in January.

In March, the council agreed a contribution of £240,570 of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding to go towards the total cost of the café and toilet block.

This would enable the new toilet and changing place facility to be built, including ground works, drainage and electrical provision.

CIL payments are legally required from developers of residential sites across the district.

They are then redistributed by the district council to help local facilities keep pace with housing growth.

The café, when complete, will seat 50 customers with indoor and outdoor seating.

The council has now made a further bid for £57,513.37 of CIL funding to cover the cost of providing disabled access to the park, café and toilets through the creation of two disabled parking bays and new level paving.

The money will also go towards some of the problems which have arisen.

These include ‘more expensive foundations’ than anticipated due to the condition of the ground.

The additional CIL award has not yet been agreed by the district council and will go before cabinet for a decision in the coming weeks.

The views of Sudbury Town Council have been sought.

The spokesperson added: “In terms of the café plans, we’ve identified a number of other things that make sense to resolve at the same time, for example, urgent repairs to ensure the safety of the retaining wall along Cornard Road.

“This has pushed timescales back.

“In the meantime, following the completion of a tender exercise, we have now appointed a local operator for the café and are looking forward to working with them.”