‘Save junction 44 of A14’ plea as Bury St Edmunds expands

A call has gone out for a rethink on A14 junction capacity as Bury St Edmunds continues to expand.

Bury resident William Wicks is appealing for ‘joined-up thinking’ on the capacity of the town’s highways infrastructure and planning approvals for homes and businesses.

He said part of the masterplan for Suffolk Park should have been a dedicated access on to the A14, but that with further housing development on the horizon for land between Rougham Hill and the A134 there could be a chance to rectify this omission by building a ‘junction 44a’ to join the A134 with the A14 and link across to Suffolk Park.

In a letter to councillors, he added: “Would you step in to save junction 44 (Bury east)?

“Junction 44 needs some help to keep Bury a great place to live – there will always be traffic problems but you need good planning to keep a place in a good lifestyle.

“With past development and future development around the junction 44 area a junction 44a is needed. It will be too late when junction 44 is surrounded by houses.”

Trevor Beckwith, Moreton Hall district councillor, agreed there were traffic issues to the east of Bury which were ‘particularly frustrating as they could easily be resolved’.

He said: “Even more frustrating is knowing any responsible organisation would have seen them coming and mitigated at an early stage.

"Councils were well aware that, despite massive expansion to the east of Bury, National Highways would not allow any new junctions onto the A14. However, to cater for the new business parks junction 45 (Rougham) was upgraded and the so-called Eastern Relief Road was built.

"Regrettably, while councils celebrated the new road, they didn't think through the consequences on existing roads and communities."

“Over several years, I have used every option open to me to get some action and finally there may be some light at the end of the tunnel, including directional signage on the A14 and within the business park.

"Despite the existing pressure on local roads, a minimum of 2,500 more houses have outline planning permission. Additionally, the new local plan is proposing to build on Rougham Airfield and on land at Rougham Hill."

Cllr Beckwith said expansion to the east of Bury started in the 1970s and if the latest proposals were agreed would continue until the 2040s, resulting in more than 7,500 dwellings.

“It is time to step away from the computer modelling and start dealing with reality,” added Cllr Beckwith.

Karen Soons, county councillor for Thingoe south division, said it was essential the capacity of junctions on and off the A14 be considered when new homes were granted planning approval.

“I represent thousands of rural residents who feel that there is a real and present issue of junction capacity along the A14,” added Cllr Soons.