Friday 20 February 2009

Planter saved


I have been wanting to post this good news item for some time, but whilst discussions were going on I resisted the temptation. I am therefore very pleased that, following my requests to St Edmundsbury Borough Council over several months, action is at last being taken. It is particularly pleasing that this will be managed by a partnership, brought together by the Council, including The Bury Society, The Town Trust, Bury in Bloom and neighbours.

The impressive Grade 2 listed terracotta planter, which stands in the Georgian St Mary's Square at the southern end of Abbeygate ward, is a familiar feature to many, but atmospheric pollution over the decades has caused considerable erosion. The repair bill will be around £40,000, but there is no official owner to fund the repairs.

Mr Martin Lightfoot, Chairman of the Bury St Edmunds Town Trust, said:

“The Bury Town Trust, The Bury Society, Bury in Bloom and the Borough Council have come together in this collective project on behalf of the town because there is no owner to take responsibility for repairing this attractive monument. We are also looking to actively interest the public and businesses in supporting the work, which is scheduled to begin in May and will take around a year to complete."

Mr Alan Jary of the Bury Society added:

“We have taken expert heritage and conservation advice and we are very pleased to be working with Simon Swann, a conservator with considerable experience of saving this rare material. Although our approach is to conserve not renovate, the central stem is particularly eroded, and will be replaced with a newly made component.

And another supporter, Mike Ames, Chairman of Bury in Bloom, commented:

“The planter is a centrepiece for Bury in Bloom, and we are very pleased that it is being conserved. We are planning a lively alternative floral display on the hoardings while it is fenced off. Art Students from the Upper Schools of the town will be invited to paint these hoardings promoting the Bury in Bloom Campaign.”
Anyone requiring more details, or who wants to make a donation, contact: mailto:Ivan.Sams@stedsbc.gov.uk for further details.

2 comments:

Mark G. Hardy said...

Where can details of the "partnership" be found as I would like to kickstart the funding?

Charlotte Howard said...

An appropriate and welcome response, Mark. I should try contacting Ivan Sams at SEBC who is my principal contact. I have added his email to the original post.