President of RTPI praises work of Heritage Partnership  

 

Work to help develop a better understanding of the heritage significance of the Abbey of St Edmund and to protect it for future generations has been praised this week. 

The President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Ian Tant, visited Bury St Edmunds yesterday (30 May) to find out about the work of the Abbey of St Edmund Heritage Partnership and its role in the community celebrations next year to mark 1000 years since the foundation of the Abbey.

The Heritage Partnership is led by St Edmundsbury Cathedral and West Suffolk  Council in collaboration with nearly 20 other local and regional public, private and voluntary organisations.

Earlier this year, the Heritage Partnership published the results of two research studies it had commissioned.  The Heritage Assessment brought together all the historical and archaeological information about the Abbey for the first time.  The Conservation Plan assessed the heritage significance of the Abbey and suggested potential projects for the future conservation and interpretation.

The past two months has seen the Heritage Partnership carry out a weekly face-to-face visitor survey and several local community engagement meetings. These follow on from the discussions raised at its January public conference and will help shape and prioritise funding bids to enable these projects to go ahead.

Richard Summers, a professional town planner and RTPI Past President, is the coordinator of the Heritage Partnership. He said: “It is an exciting time for the Abbey of St Edmund to be planning these improvements to the Abbey precinct as well as next year’s millennium celebrations in memory of St Edmund.”

“Our work is about engaging with people of all ages and interests, whether they are residents or visitors, to ensure that the stories of St Edmund and the Abbey can be told and understood and that the Abbey precinct itself can be protected for future generations to enjoy.”

“It was a pleasure to welcome Ian Tant, this year’s RTPI President, to Bury St Edmunds to give him a tour of the Abbey of St Edmund area and to discuss our exciting ideas for various heritage conservation and improvement projects which we hope will be realised through future funding bids.”

Ian Tant, RTPI President, said: “It was fascinating to visit the Abbey of St Edmund in the heart of Bury St Edmunds, to see the evocative setting of the ruins of the Abbey and to discuss exciting ideas for heritage conservation and interpretation with the Heritage Partnership. The remains of the Abbey include two gate towers and two medieval churches, one of which is now the Cathedral.  The Abbey celebrates 1000 years next year and the remains are a sight to behold.

“As a professional planner, I was particularly interested to see how the layout of the Abbey was extended into the grid layout of the medieval town, which is still a charming and thriving centre of attraction for local people and visitors. I was very impressed to hear how the developing work of the Heritage Partnership has been carefully integrated into the recent town centre masterplan and will inform future local plans.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and am confident that the Abbey of St Edmund is in good hands and that it will be conserved for future generations so that its continuing relevance can be understood in modern times.”