Villagers near Bury St Edmunds ‘disgusted’ as Suffolk Highways and Hopkins Homes fail to attend meeting over closures of A134 Sicklesmere Road
Villagers gathered for a meeting to voice their concerns ahead of major weekend road closures — only for the highways authority to withdraw just hours before.
The meeting took place at Nowton Village Hall, near Bury St Edmunds, at 7pm yesterday to discuss the upcoming closures on the A134 Sicklesmere Road.
Hopkins Homes plans to shut the key route for eight weekends to construct a roundabout as part of its Abbots Vale development, with traffic lights already in place during the week.
With the first closure set to begin tomorrow, residents from Great Whelnetham, Little Whelnetham, Stanningfield, Hawstead, and Rougham, who will be impacted by the 43-mile diversion route, raised their issues.
Three hours before the meeting was set to begin, John Clements, assistant director of Highways Services, announced that no Suffolk County Council officers would be attending, citing concerns over the village hall’s capacity and parking limitations as a matter of public safety.
Resident Catherine Lambillion-Jameson expressed deep concerns about emergency services accessing the villages — especially after a recent medical emergency.
“If that emergency had happened at the weekend, there’s a good chance the person we called the ambulance for would have died,” Catherine said. “It was that time critical.
“I am absolutely disgusted this is happening — I have seen ambulances already stuck at the traffic lights, not able to get through.
“And it’s appalling that neither Hopkins or Suffolk County Council showed up to hear about this, not surprised though — they just don’t care. They don’t care about us.”
In a statement, Mr Clements said: “Given the high interest in the upcoming works by Hopkins Homes on the A134, it is crucial for both the county council and the developer to explain how traffic will be managed during construction and address any community questions.
“Therefore, we will arrange an online meeting soon, allowing more people to participate and learn about the upcoming works. I apologise for the late notice.”
A spokesperson for Hopkins Homes said: “We were fully expecting and had planned to attend the Nowton Parish Council meeting last night to discuss the planned roadworks, however we were informed by the council that the meeting had been cancelled at short notice. We are disappointed and frustrated to learn that the meeting still went ahead. We are keen to attend a revised meeting date when it has been rearranged.”
Hopkins Homes confirmed that during weekend closures, emergency vehicles and buses will be allowed access via Low Green to Nowton Road, with an on-site gateman managing entry.
Further health concerns were raised during the meeting, chaired by Henry Hopking, including the impact on vulnerable residents relying on carers.
One attendee highlighted the case of an elderly woman he knows in the village who depends on carers four times a day for basic tasks such as getting out of bed and using the toilet.
He said: “Saturday, she’s going to stuck in bed. Sunday, she’s going to be stuck in bed. And maybe, if she’s lucky on Monday morning someone will come and see her if she’s not dead.
“This is what this is about. This road needs to be open.
“It’s starting this Friday and they can’t even turn up? Do you know how disgusting that is?”
Hours before the meeting, Dr Peter Prinsley, MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, released a letter to the developers and Suffolk Highways, calling for clarity on several key issues after an online petition was launched in a bid to halt the plans.
He requested details on how emergency vehicles will navigate the closures, what alternative options to full road closures have been considered and how residents and businesses will be kept informed throughout the works.
He said: “It's unacceptable if emergency vehicles are being delayed by roadworks on the A134.”
A representative from the MP’s office attended the meeting and criticised the lack of clear communication from both Hopkins Homes and Highways.
Many shared concerns about the lack of communication, including resident Richard Hill, who highlighted how the road closures will impact businesses such as Mark Proctor’s Friendly Loaf Bakery.
He said: “We have to try our best to support businesses during this hard time, it’s going to be bedlam for them.
"Mark’s vehicles won’t be able to reach him and customers will struggle to get to him.
"During the lockdown, it was the Friendly Loaf that kept us going — now it’s our turn to support them."
While no Suffolk County Council officers were at the meeting, County Cllr Karen Soons attended with a message to residents to report all their concerns through the correct channels.
She said: “If you are having any issues, I really urge you to hammer the online reporting tool as much as possible.
“Put your photographs, your damaged verges, put everything on there. It acts as a record.”
The reporting tool can be found here: www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/highway-maintenance/report-a-highways-issue
As the meeting wrapped up, representatives from Great Whelnetham and Little Whelnetham Parish Council agreed to take the lead on drafting a letter addressed to Suffolk Highways and Hopkins Homes’ owner, an investment firm called Terra Firma.
Parish clerk Elaine Gorman said she hopes that by combining the views and concerns of all the parishes present, the letter would carry greater weight and prompt action.
Although the meeting was attended by parish councillors from nearby villages, many expressed a desire to share their views as residents, free from any political affiliation.
This included Peter Royce, who said: “It was very disappointing that the representatives of Hopkins Homes and Highways did not attend this meeting to confront the very people they have caused the maximum inconvenience to.”
Henry Brewis said: “The whole thing has been very poorly planned. I’m amazed that Suffolk Highways has allowed the developers to get away with such a shoddy plan.
“They should be able to complete these works much more quickly than eight weekends and I think the closures should be halted straight away and a new plan put in place.”
John West said: “The lack of communication and consultation that we’ve had shows an absolute lack of respect for all communities in the area.”
Victor Lampart said: “I’m really concerned the added pollution coming to our villages as all these lorries follow that 43-mile diversion route.
“Everyone’s always on about how we’re damaging the planet, well in this area, we’re trying to kill it. There is only one word for this whole mess and it is disgusting.”
A representative of Rushbrooke Lane and The Firs raised concerns about rat-running, noting that despite Suffolk Highways designating the road — and Low Green — as ‘no through roads,’ motorists have reportedly pushed aside barriers to bypass the official diversion route.
They said: “We suffer badly as a rat-run at all times, not just as a result of this, so looking after Rushbrooke Lane is our number one priority.
“It’s a single traffic road and, while we have absolutely no wish to fall out with our local villages, we do think Hopkins and Highways have not done very well at all to avoid this issue which will greatly impact us.
“I have a lot of sympathy for what was said during the meeting, but I am very concerned for the safety of Rushbrooke Lane residents and the road itself.
“If large amounts of traffic end up using this road, including lorries, its just going to make our existing issues 10 times worse.”
A spokesperson for Hopkins Homes added: “The roundabout and relief road, once completed, will result in substantial improvements for local people and support future growth in Bury St Edmunds.
“These improvements are not directly related to the Abbots Vale development but are part of our legal obligation to broader infrastructure improvements as agreed upon during the planning process.
“We have worked closely with Suffolk Highways and listened carefully to local residents to create a plan that minimises disruption as much as possible.
“This includes committing an additional £455,000 beyond our initial planning obligations to vastly reduce the number of full closure days. Due to the nature of the work required, full closures are needed to do this safely and efficiently.
“A requirement of all temporary road closures is to establish an official diversion route which will direct vehicles along equivalent roads. In this instance, the diversion route uses the closest alternative A roads to primarily support HGVs. Other road users (e.g. cars and motorcycles) will still be able to use alternative local B-roads which offer significantly shorter travel times.
“During the weekend closures, emergency vehicles and bus services will be permitted access via Low Green to Nowton Road, managed by an on-site gateman.
“At Hopkins Homes, we remain committed to creating sustainable new communities that benefit new and existing residents alike.”
