Initial Ideas and Concepts for the Westgate Masterplan
Our vision is to regenerate the Westgate area of Bury St Edmunds by celebrating its rich brewing heritage and creating a vibrant new residential-led quarter that honours our legacy in the town while ensuring economic value and sustainability.
We began the masterplanning process in spring 2025, following the approval of our proposals to relocate to a new state-of-the-art brewery at Suffolk Business Park, with the aim of creating a long-term development strategy for the Westgate Site.
At the start of this process, we engaged with the local community and groups in spring 2025 to hear from those who live in the town about their views on the existing site and what future uses they would like to see to enhance this area of the town.
This next stage of engagement is focused on the initial concepts and early ideas for the site, including potential character areas, types of uses and their possible locations. This is not a final detailed plan but is intended to test ideas and guide future design and planning decisions.
The following sections provide further information about the site, constraints and opportunities and our early ideas for future uses.
Once you have reviewed the information below, please click link below to complete our feedback survey.
The Site
Westgate Masterplan Area
The Masterplan area is located to the south of Bury St Edmunds town centre.
The northernmost part is bounded by Sparhawk Street and St Mary’s Square to the east, Honey Hill and Crown Street to the north and Bridewell Lane to the west, with Westgate Street forming the boundary for this northern section to the south. The former fire station off Bridewell Lane is also located within the site boundary. This area is situated within the town centre conservation area, highlighting its cultural and historical significance.
South of Westgate Street, the site includes the Greene King distribution depot and Draught Beer warehouse. It is bounded by Greene Mews to the north west, Maynewater Lane to the east, Cullum Road to the south, and Friars Lane to the south west.
Aerial Image of the Westgate Masterplan area (click to enlarge)
Site context
The Site Today
The site today encompasses a wide variety of uses, buildings and features.
You can see the existing buildings in grey, and areas in light grey/white show the large portions of the site that are currently used for car parking and service yards. Toward the south of the site are the Water Meadows, a large area of green space and vegetation. Residential gardens on the site are shown in a lighter shade of green.
Map of the site today showing buildings, hard surfaces, roads, vegetation and green space. (click to enlarge)
Planning context
The adopted West Suffolk Local Plan provides the strategic framework for growth and development across the district, setting out key policies to guide sustainable regeneration, economic vitality, and community well-being.
-
Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Masterplan
Within this wider context, the town centre of Bury St Edmunds has been identified as a focal point for targeted investment and development to support its role as a vibrant commercial and cultural hub.
To complement the Local Plan’s strategic vision, the Bury St Edmunds Masterplan Area Policy Masterplan (MAP) offers detailed guidance specific to the town centre. This Masterplan informs development proposals by addressing the unique challenges and opportunities within the town centre, ensuring that projects such as the Westgate Brewery site contribute positively to the overall regeneration objectives. As we move forward with the design process for the Westgate Site Masterplan, we are actively considering and responding to the aspirations set out in both the adopted West Suffolk Local Plan and the Bury St Edmunds MAP, outlined below:
Movement
aim to improve accessibility and connectivity through improved pedestrian and cycle routes, enhanced bus links and measures to ease current congestion.
Activity
enable mixed-used developments such as retail, leisure, housing and community facilities to make the town more attractive to spend time in and support local businesses and leisure offerings.
Place
define and leverage the town’s historic character areas, preserve and enhance heritage assets and improve wellbeing by making the town centre easier to get around and more attractive.
Constraints and opportunities
The site offers a mix of opportunities and considerations for future development, taking into account its location, heritage assets, topography, natural features, and surrounding area. Any planned development must have regard to the site’s heritage and work with the site’s natural features. This section sets out background information on the site’s constraints and opportunities.
Conservation Area and Listed Buildings
Much of the northern and western part of the site lies within Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Conservation Area, with several listed buildings also located in these areas.
-
Any proposals need to take account of these listed buildings and the character of the conservation area.
Greene King has been at the heart of Bury St Edmunds' brewing heritage for over two centuries. The historic Westgate Brewery, established in 1799, includes several Grade II listed buildings, including the Main Brewhouse, completed in 1939 in the Art Deco style. These buildings showcase the town’s rich architectural heritage and highlight Greene King’s enduring presence in the community.
Detailed work has been undertaken to understand the relative heritage significance of the buildings on the site and this will guide the future development and future uses.
Map 1 below is the heritage significance plan.
Map 2 below details listed buildings in brown, and the conservation area boundary in yellow.
Large parts of the southern portion of the site are located in areas at risk of flooding in Flood Zone 2 (medium risk) and Flood Zone 3 (high risk), impacting the potential future use of these sections of the site.
Flooding
-
Further assessments will be undertaken to review the flood zones and determine the most appropriate uses for these sections in light of the identified flood risk.
Map of flood zones across the site, with flood zone 2 (medium probability) in a light shade of blue and flood zone 3 (high probability) in a darker shade of blue.
Site levels vary across the masterplan area which will need to be considered when determining future uses of each area of the site.
Site Levels
-
Generally, the land falls away to the south towards the River Linnet. This reflects a broader characteristic of Bury St Edmunds, which was built on a gentle hill to provide both a natural defensive advantage and a commanding position for the abbey.
Map of the topography of the site, showing the middle part of the site (just south of Westgate Street) with the steepest gradient.
Opportunities and Potential Benefits
Whilst all of the above factors constrain the potential of the site in physical terms, they also present a number of significant opportunities when viewed as strengths, with the potential to create public benefits.
For example, the listed buildings and conservation area provide a beautiful heritage setting within which to create a sensitively designed development. The site is currently quite closed off and isolated from the rest of the town, so opportunities exist to create new public routes and extend or complement the historic town grid, connecting people, places and cultural destinations. The flood risk toward the south of the site provides an opportunity to enhance biodiversity and ‘re-wild’, whilst increasing community access to enjoy these green spaces. The varying site levels provide an opportunity to create distinct but connected character areas.
Our design principles recognise the opportunities that the site presents and are informed by detailed site analysis, technical surveys and the valuable feedback received during early community engagement. The principles set out topic-based approaches that can be carried through the design process, ensuring that core values are maintained and delivered.
Scroll down to view our proposed design principles for the Westgate Masterplan. You can click on each design principle to learn more.
Diagram illustrating opportunities and potential public benefits that the masterplan could bring to Bury St Edmunds (click to enlarge)
Design Principles
Click on each Design Principle to learn more
Character Areas
We have identified a number of potential character areas, illustrating the types of places that could be created across the site. They guide how the site might look and feel, shaping both the mix of uses and the distinctive identity of each area.
There is an opportunity to shape a series of new places, with distinctive characters and sense of identities. To the north of Westgate Street, the historic brewery sites could evolve into a distinctive urban quarter, where old and new buildings are seamlessly integrated to reflect and celebrate the area’s industrial heritage.
At its heart, the transformed 1930’s Brewhouse Building could serve as a vibrant anchor and destination, bringing life and activity to the area.
To the south of Westgate Street, a new neighbourhood could emerge, offering diverse living options arranged along lanes that follow the natural slope southwards and open out towards the river landscape.
Further south, the water meadows could be enhanced both as an amenity space for residents and for biodiversity and water management.
A character area is a part of a development that has its own unique style and atmosphere. It’s defined by elements such as the types of buildings, street layouts, landscaping, and how the space is used. Character areas help give a place its identity and make sure different parts feel distinct. Each area is illustrated on the plan which summarise potential uses in each.
As set out in our design principles, it is important that future uses should be designed with a focus on long term success and commercial viability.
To view our initial ideas and concepts for each character area, click on the icons on the character areas map.
What is a character area?
Hover over each icon to view the initial ideas and concepts, including precedent imagery which provides a visual reference to the ideas that could come forward in each character area.
Summary of potential future uses
The following section provides a summary of the potential future uses we are exploring across the whole masterplan area, and explains how these respond to what we heard during early engagement.
Tourism and Greene King Legacy
The most popular theme from our early engagement related to the heritage of Greene King. Feedback from the public consultation suggested the 1930s Brewhouse should be focal point for Greene King heritage and retained presence on the site. We have taken this feedback on board, and this is currently our preferred option which we are exploring further, with potential features such as a museum, food and beverage/hospitality, functional spaces for hire and a microbrewery. We are working with other key organisations in Bury St Edmunds to connect the different and growing tourism opportunities, including St Edmundsbury Cathedral – to see how we can promote our town to domestic and international visitors.
Residential - Delivering a diverse range of housing
Members of the community felt that a diverse range of housing options is needed to meet varying requirements. Early assessments indicate that this could be achieved through a mix of housing types, carefully located to respect and complement the character of the surrounding area.This could be delivered mainly within the Lanes (south of Westgate Street) and the Old Brewery Quarter.
Culture and Community
Another key theme was the creation of indoor and outdoor community and social spaces for all age groups. We are exploring how areas to the north of the site could support this through enhanced food and beverage offerings, as well as flexible spaces for use by local groups and community organisations.
There is potential to collaborate with the Theatre Royal to address some of its needs and requirements through the wider development.
On the south of the site, there is a key opportunity to create outdoor and natural space for the community through the restoration and improvement of the Water Meadows.
Other Uses
Other potential uses that we are exploring across the site include office and employment spaces to support existing and new businesses, and the self-employed. There is also the potential to expand the existing food and beverage offering of the town.
Key Considerations
As we advance to the next stage of the masterplan, guided by feedback from this second stage of engagement, our key considerations are:
Heritage
Much of the northern and western part of the site lies within Bury St Edmunds Town Centre Conservation Area, with several listed buildings also located in these areas. Any new uses will need to take account of the heritage significance of the historic buildings, and new development should respect and enhance their setting as well as the character and appearance of the conservation area.
As we move forward with preparation of the masterplan, the heritage context is a key consideration to ensure that we preserve, protect and complement the character of the local area.
Transport parking and access
Access to the site is currently quite restricted. Existing vehicular access to the site is provided from Westgate Street, Maynewater Lane, and Cullum Road.
There is the potential to include additional vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access points to link through site from north to south and east to west, whilst also providing connectivity to the wider town.
Early engagement told us how important transport and access are to the community, and we are going to be carefully considering options for the masterplan that respond to what we have heard.
Ecology and environment
Ecology and environment is not just a priority for the Water Meadows character area. Whilst the Water Meadows has ample potential in itself to restore and enhance local ecology and connect people to nature, we want to embed sustainable principles across the whole masterplan site where possible. Ecological benefits can be achieved across the site through new green spaces and the integration of natural features, as well as sustainable urban drainage that could help keep the Water Meadows water levels higher in drier periods whilst improving water quality.
As we face a climate crisis, it is our imperative to strive to be as sustainable and environmentally positive through the masterplan as possible, and we have heard that this is a top priority for the community as well.
Deliverability and Financial Sustainability
Underpinning all of our considerations and the development of the Westgate Masterplan is the need to ensure that it is deliverable, viable and financially sustainable over the long term.
Ensuring the masterplan is deliverable and viable means that there is confidence that it will be implemented and that the plans for the site become a reality, unburdened by cost or logistical constraints. To support deliverability, we are undertaking rigorous site analysis to fully understand constraints, as well assessing the financial viability of options for the site.
Over the longer term, we want to ensure that the site is set up for success, and that all buildings and plots are attractive places for people to invest in, whether to work, to start a business, to live, or to contribute to the town in any other way. In considering this, we are working to ensure that the site is designed well, and meets local need and demand in terms of uses, to ensure it remains an active and financially sustainable place for decades to come.