By Lisa CleverdonTHE threat of legal action that could scupper a long-awaited multi-million-pound redevelopment to transform a town looks to be receding.

By Lisa Cleverdon

THE threat of legal action that could scupper a long-awaited multi-million-pound redevelopment to transform a town looks to be receding.

Campaigners fighting for adequate car parking in Bury St Edmunds following the completion of the £75million shopping centre on the town's Cattle Market site had raised the possibility of calling for a judicial review into the scheme.

But resident Sir Reginald Harland, who had previously warned such legal action was always a possibility, said he was now more confident in the council's plans to tackle problems with the flow of traffic and insufficient parking in the town.

Members of St Edmundsbury Borough Council's car parking working party will meet later this month to discuss drafting in an independent consultant to carry out a study into the town's car parking.

Councillors will also look into the possibility of implementing new measures to solve parking problems, including a state-of-the art varying message signing system informing motorists where spaces are available.

“We will just have to wait and see what happens, but I am hopeful this study carried out by the independent consultant may help to allay concerns over car parking,” said Sir Reginald.

“The car parking is a key problem with regards to the Cattle Market development, but hopefully this will now be resolved and there will be no need for legal action to be considered.”

Jeremy Farthing, chairman of the car parking working party, said the car parking issues were in hand.

“Parking and traffic control has always been a top priority for the council. We have always looked after it and are committed to doing so,” he added.

“It is my aim to persuade my fellow councillors to invest in a varying message signing system, which I think is the key to car parking in Bury and the way forward for the town.

“It will allow anyone coming into the town to see where the car parking spaces are in the town.”

The signing system could even be linked up to a website that would allow people to get up-to-date information on where the best place is to park at any one time.

Mr Farthing said: “We have been asked by the council's development control committee to draft in an independent consultant to carry out a study into car parking, which we will do.

“There are a number of car parking spaces available in Bury and there is always somewhere to park, but people get frustrated if they cannot park at the place they normally do.”

He added that as well as the signing system, the working party would also be looking into the introduction of a seasonal park-and-ride scheme and the possibility of using private car parks to increase the number of spaces available in the town.

lisa.cleverdon@eadt.co.uk