A town mayor has described news that work could start on building a long-awaited shop early next year as "very welcome" and "long overdue". 

FPC (Marham Park) Ltd has revealed it has been "trying to negotiate a deal" with a stakeholder for the building of a new convenience store off Crosses Link on the Marham Park estate for the past 12 months. 

In a statement published on Monday, it said the deal had "sadly" fallen through but that it was now "working closely with a national convenience store operator so the project can be brought forward in the near future" with the aim to begin construction in 2025. 

It said it had hit "a number of major challenges" with the project which delayed its construction including "construction cost inflation, high interest rates and being let down by other key stakeholders". 

Following this announcement Diane Hind, mayor of Bury St Edmunds, said: "I very much hope that the new deal progresses smoothly and that the shop becomes a reality sooner rather than later.

"Of course we don’t know why the deal with a stakeholder has fallen through, but to my knowledge a deal with a national convenience store operator has always been on the table, along with other interested parties. 

"Clearly a resolution to any stalemate has been achieved and this is very welcome and long overdue for residents of Marham Park," she added.

The lack of a shop at Marham Park has frustrated residents in recent months.

In August, residents called for action at the disused site, with one stating: "They said when a certain amount of houses had been built we would have a shop built, but I think that amount of houses was reached years ago." 

 The FPC (Marham Park) Ltd statement read: "We are progressing with the outstanding planning matters as quickly as possible so the project can come forward and we greatly appreciate the support of West Suffolk Local Planning Authority in this regard."