Bury St Edmunds Parkway multi-storey to reopen after repairs

About 200 spaces were out of action at Parkway multi-storey and some evening closures were in place during the work, which included repairs to the structure and colour coding of parking bays and walkways. 

The programme of repairs, carried out by West Suffolk Council, cost £1.4m and the majority of funding came through the reinvestment of car parking income. 

The car park now has colour coded bays and walkways (Image: West Suffolk Council)

Work to repaint the flooring of the stairwell will take place out of hours over the next month, while the council is also awaiting tenders for work to improve the lighting in the multi-storey. 

Subject to tender costs, it wants to replace the lighting on the parking levels, stairwells and emergency lighting, with new LEDs that include motion sensors. 

This would improve their energy efficiency helping the environment, but also deliver savings to the council so that they cost less to the taxpayer.

While it is hoped that these works can take place before autumn, the parking levels are expected to remain open.

Since April, the council has also made two levels of the car park available Monday to Friday, exclusively to hospital workers from the West Suffolk Foundation Trust through a permit scheme. The trust runs a shuttlebus to take staff to and from the hospital.

Diane Hind, the new cabinet member for resources and property at West Suffolk Council, said: “We are delighted that these major works, which has been delivered on time and on budget, are now finished.

"These repairs were vital to ensuring the car park’s operation for many years to come and hopefully town centre workers, shoppers and other users will find the car park better to use and cleaner as a result of the improvements made.

"We hope there will be more improvements to follow with smarter lighting which will be better for the environment and a better use of tax payers money in the savings it delivers to the council.”