New 'Vision for Prosperity' plans for Stowmarket

Ambitious plans to transform Stowmarket and improve the future of the town have been revealed.

Work on the Vision for Prosperity has been in the pipeline following a public consultation in October last year and aims to improve all areas of the town in a bid to improve the economy, community and cultural offering.

Extended free Wi-Fi in the town centre, creating a technology hub, a £250,000 shop front improvement project, an upgrade to the Cedars Hotel by Best Western Group, a new drive-through Costa and McDonalds are among the measures included.

These details have been published ahead of Monday’s Mid Suffolk District Council cabinet meeting.

The council’s report said: “The Vision for Prosperity work is intended to kick-start a resurgence in Stowmarket and its surrounding area, coordinating services and responding to the needs of the community.”

“In short, the perception is that the town is under-performing as a retail and leisure venue. Consequently, the reputation of the town is weak which hinders positivity in residents and in potential investors in the area.”

The cabinet is asked to allocate £550,000 towards the work.

Some proposals such as a planned extension to the Regal Theatre and the No More Delays on the A14 campaign have already been made public.

Rachel Eburne, Green group leader at Mid Suffolk District Council, said: “We need to be certain the voices of the many are heard in this document, the initial consultations had low turnouts and we need to make sure all have their say.

“There have been a number of Stowmarket based plans over the years, these have delivered hundreds of houses, and the facilities to back this up have been slow to materialise."