Ipswich is a town centre that is seen to be struggling – yet 28 miles down the road the heart of Bury St Edmunds seems to be thriving and is able to attract shoppers from a wide area.

Last year the number of people visiting Bury town centre rose 4% compared with 2013. Nationally and regionally the footfall numbers for 2014 fell by 0.5% compared with the previous year.

What is the secret of Bury’s success – and what can Ipswich learn from its near neighbour?

In population terms Ipswich is much larger than Bury – it has a population of 133,000 and when you include “Greater Ipswich” –communities like Kesgrave, Rushmere, and Pinewood – the figure rises to about 150,000. Bury has a population of 42,000.

But while Ipswich’s shopping centre is seen by many as under-performing, and it has difficulty in attracting many shoppers from out of the town, Bury is seen to be punching above its weight – it pulls people in from a wide area.

The recent survey carried out by the Star in Ipswich showed that two-thirds of those who responded felt the choice of shopping in the town centre was ‘poor’ or ‘very poor.’ Only 18% said they did their main Christmas shopping in the town.

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