Bury Free Press readers' letters to the editor

Plans to turn create a new hotel in the town's old Suffolk Hotel building are being welcomed . . . among other letters.

HOTEL IN TOWN CENTRE WOULD BE VERY WELCOME

The news that the Suffolk Hotel will rise again, in a boutique form, in the centre of Bury St Edmunds, after receiving planning permission, will be most welcome.

Too often, in past years, hotels in town and city centres have closed and not been adequately replaced, with new facilities usually being provided on the periphery of towns and cities.

The drawback I have found with this is that far too often one is searching for a hotel, in the dark, on a nondescript business park, which, when one is tired from driving perhaps a long way, adds further stress and strain.

During a pre-pandemic visit to Norwich with my classic car to take part, the next morning, in the Norfolk Open Churches run, locating the hotel outside Norwich, there were problems associated with roadworks for the northern distributor road, which confused the satnav to such an extent that it was rendered useless and impotent. The confusion was only abated when, out of the blue, the signs for the hotel somehow appeared through the gloom.

In recent years, Ipswich has had new hotels springing up in the centre of town, specifically to accommodate tourist visitors, with more planned.

However, the former Great White Horse Hotel, on a prime site in the centre of town is derelict and sadly neglected with little hope of being brought back to life.

Approval for the Suffolk Hotel project will help to provide more bed spaces in Bur, and bring back some of those lost when the Suffolk and also Everards Hotel closed their doors. It will also be good to see the retail units created in the old hotel refurbished and accommodating new occupants, aiding the resurgence and recovery of a wonderful town centre.

The former Suffolk Hotel was a ‘go to’ place for excellent lunches and afternoon teas. Whatever is provided now will not diminish the fact that an old friend, such an important part of the Bury St Edmunds experience, is thankfully finally returning.

Graham Day, Stowmarket

EVERARDS NEXT?

So good to see the Suffolk Hotel could be returning to the centre of Bury St Edmunds.

Can Everards Hotel be next on the list please.

Sheila Southgate, Barrow

KEYNES HAD THE RIGHT RESPONSE

David Jacobs says that ‘demand will always outstrip supply for the NHS’ (Letters, December 3) and I presume he thinks we can’t afford to fund this service adequately.

I would like to draw his attention to a quote from one of the greatest economists the world has ever seen, John Maynard Keynes, who was responsible at the Breton Woods Conference for helping to solve Europe’s problems after the Second World War: “Anything we can actually do we can afford.”

Robin Howe, Honington

THE PRESS HELPS TO SHED LIGHT . . .

Never underestimate the power of the press.

Last week you printed a letter from me about the slow installation of modern street lighting in the town centre.

Four days later, modern street lighting was installed in our street.

Now that you’ve achieved that, can you deal with coronavirus?

Antony Hurden, Bury St Edmunds