A DEAL worth nearly £50 million has been struck to redevelop a key site in a west Suffolk town.Developer Centros Miller and St Edmundsbury Borough Council have awarded Taylor Woodrow Construction the £47 million contract for the Cattle Market development in Bury St Edmunds.

A DEAL worth nearly £50 million has been struck to redevelop a key site in a west Suffolk town.

Developer Centros Miller and St Edmundsbury Borough Council have awarded Taylor Woodrow Construction the £47 million contract for the Cattle Market development in Bury St Edmunds.

The scheme will see two new shopping streets and a new public square built on the site, and the creation of a Debenhams department store, about 35 new shops, 62 apartments, a public venue building and more than 800 parking spaces.

The project is being coordinated Centros Miller and the council and construction work will begin in the next few weeks - lasting for about two years.

Ivan Stephenson, Centros Miller development manager, said: “We are delighted to announce Taylor Woodrow as the main contractor for the Cattle Market and look forward to working together with them to bring this important scheme to fruition. This much-needed expansion of the heart of Bury St Edmunds will widen the town's appeal as a destination for shopping, living and leisure within the East Anglian region.

“In addition to the many construction workers required during the development phase, many of whom will be recruited locally, it is anticipated that when complete the Cattle Market development will create hundreds of new jobs and attract an estimated one million additional visitors to the town every year.”

St Edmundsbury Borough Council leader, John Griffiths, said: “It's great news that another milestone has passed on this long journey. We have taken great care to ensure the high quality of the Cattle Market development at every step of the way by making sure we have the best people in the right place at the right time.

“There was considerable competition for the job among contractors. Taylor Woodrow is a well-established company with a great heritage of handling large and complex sites and I welcome this expertise. We will be working very closely with them to ensure there is minimal impact on the town centre.”

Taylor Woodrow will have to adhere to noise restrictions outside of normal working hours, provide wheel washers for site vehicles, facilitate a park-and-ride scheme for workers, use an out-of-town holding area for delivery vehicles and minimise disruption to local homes and businesses.

In addition, it will have a dedicated neighbourhood liaison manager available on site at all times during working hours as first point of call to resolve any problems with local residents, businesses and the public.

The contractor's managing director Tim Peach said: “We are sensitive to the character of Bury St Edmunds and will be working extremely hard with Centros Miller, the council and our supply chain, to minimise any effect construction work will have on the local business and residential communities.”

To help fund the development of the new multi-purpose, 500-seat venue and other public realm works, the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has granted £1.5 million to the council. Equipped to host a variety of events and entertainment, the venue will add to the town's tourism offer and be a focus for social activity in the town outside the normal shopping hours.