The big stories of 2009 from the Bury St Edmunds area: arc Shopping Centre finally opens, ASDA arrives in town and the Queen visits cathedral
Cast your mind back to 2009. Gordon Brown was Prime Minister, the last Woolworths stores closed across the country, in January the Bank of England cut its base interest rate to 1.5 per cent – the lowest in the bank’s 300-year history – and the UK’s economy was officially in recession.
Swine flu arrived in England at the end of April, Manchester United won the Premier League, unemployment topped two million and more than 80 per cent of the UK population had internet access.
Some of the top films on at the cinema in 2009 included Avatar, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Slumdog Millionaire. Meanwhile, stereos were blasting out Lady Gaga’s debut single Just Dance and follow-up Poker Face, while in June the charts were populated by Michael Jackson re-entries following his sudden death.
Closer to home, Bury St Edmunds town centre was undergoing major change as the Cattle Market development was completed in 2009.
Read on for our monthly look back at some of the Big Stories from the Bury Free Press of years gone by – now it is 2009’s turn.
First up, we covered the opening of the £100 million arc shopping centre development in March 2009.
Retailers opening their doors on the first day included Debenhams, Jane Norman, Clarks, H&M, Vodafone, Topshop and Topman, Peacocks, Fat Face, Wallis, Next, Swarovski, New Look, Crew Clothing, Monsoon and Accessorize.
The shopping centre’s opening boosted trade across the town, with car parks packed out and market traders reporting higher footfall and sales.
However, a temporary park and ride service put in place for the arc’s opening saw minimal use, with the council subsidising the service to the tune of £55 per car.
And it was revealed the planned Market Thoroughfare link between the arc and the town centre would not be built, with developers Centros blaming the economic climate.
Meanwhile, work progressed on the public building still under construction in Charter Square – we took a look behind the scenes.
But the running costs bill for the public building were expected to reach more than £650,000 over its first three years, with the council footing the cost.
In spite of this, excitement grew ahead of the venue’s opening as its name – The Apex – was finally revealed.
Across town, the new ASDA supermarket, in Western Way, was preparing to open.
Cheers greeted its official opening in 2009, after a long battle to bring the retailer to Bury St Edmunds.
And the opening of the ASDA petrol station could – it was hoped – help to bring lower fuel prices across the town.
Its national pricing policy put pressure on other filling stations across the town to follow suit and cut the price of petrol and diesel.
But as the arc and ASDA opened, Cornhill Walk Shopping Centre said goodbye to popular clothes shop Principles, as the retailer went into administration.
Principles had been in the shopping arcade for 21 years.
And in the market, the cheese stall decided to close down after 25 years in the town.
Over in Churchgate Street, an original 150-year-old window was smashed at Bloomfields Shoes – one of the town’s oldest shops.
At St Edmundsbury Cathedral, a vaulted ceiling was about to be hoisted into place as the finishing touch for the Millennium Tower project.
And the Archbishop of Canterbury visited the town when the 11-year project was finally complete.
The cathedral was also graced with a royal visitor, as the Queen was in town for the traditional Maundy service.
In charity news, the recession was hitting good causes and St Nicholas Hospice Care issued an appeal for donations after it closed beds on its inpatient ward.
Tribute was paid to much-loved mum-of-three and fitness instructor Mary Griffiths, who was murdered aged 38.
Her killer appeared in court later in 2009, entering a guilty plea to her murder.
It was a sad day as Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23, of Stanningfield, was brought home after becoming the 100th British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.
Multi-million plans to develop West Suffolk College were shelved after £58 million of funding was pulled.
Travellers from Mexico were told to monitor their health in early May, as swine flu reached British soil.
And Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley spoke out on the expenses scandal and allegations he ‘flipped’ his main residence to London in order to claim expenses for his constituency flat.
At West Suffolk Hospital, 2,600 staff were sent an email about a car parking consultation which they feared could lead to employees being barred from parking on site.
But public transport in the town was undergoing a period of change, as new operator Essex County Buses launched rival services to those operated by First.
In education, the final phase of transitioning from three-tier education in West Suffolk to the two-tier system was delayed due to funding issues.
New Bury resident Lord Tebbit spoke to the Bury Free Press after settling into his new home.
And finally, Lucie Falco enjoyed a milestone day as she passed her driving test four hours before getting married.