WORK is under way by survey engineers on designing Bungay's proposed town centre improvement scheme.

Surveyors have been a familiar sight in and around the town centre over the past week as they carry out the preliminary work on a scheme which should be in place, on an experimental basis, next spring.

Andrew Pearce, who is managing the project for Suffolk County Council, said the scheme followed a public exhibition in the town last December and the subsequent decision, supported by Bungay Town Council, to take forward the preferred scheme proposal.

This includes changing St Mary's Street into one-way traffic northbound, as well as other significant enhancements.

'The county is now working with the town council and the community to develop proposals in more detail and has recently commissioned a full topographical survey to help with this,' Mr Pearce said. 'People may have noticed engineers on site recently taking measurements with surveying equipment – this is purely for design purposes and does not signify construction work starting in Bungay.

'It is our intention to implement the proposed changes under an experimental Traffic Order in spring 2012, which will be monitored for up to 18 months, before which it could be made permanent if considered appropriate. During this period the public will have the opportunity to make comment. There may need to be some minor works undertaken on site before the experimental order can be implemented and it is expected that these will be done early in the New Year.'

The Mayor, Angela Brook, said some residents had been concerned about the surveying activity in the town, and the county had responded so fully and quickly to the request for an explanation. She said it was in Bungay's interests that work was now in progress on the design of the long-awaited improvement scheme.

In a separate project, work is also progressing on new parking restrictions in some areas of the town which should also be in place by spring, 2012. The Bungay (Prohibition and Restriction of Waiting and Loading, additional Measures and Consolidation) Traffic Regulation Order was advertised on site from July. The county is now considering the objections received with a view to taking the final proposals to the Suffolk County Council Rights of Way Committee in January. Following that it hopes to be able to implement the changes on site before the spring in 2012.