Plans to turn St Edmundsbury Abbey into a major tourist attraction thanks to a multi-million pound lottery grant have moved on with the appointment of an architect/consultant for the project.

Purcell Architecture has long experience of working on heritage projects - it has worked on Canterbury Cathedral, Ely Cathedral and Norwich Castle alongside other high-profile projects.

It will be joined on the project by RFA Design, which has been appointed interpretation plan and design consultant.

Its significant projects include Fountains Mill, Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, Torre Abbey, Torquay, The Monastic Way, Buckfast Abbey as well as Suffolk Archives locally.

A further seven consultants have been appointed to support the project which is expected to bid for £6.7million to transform the Abbey ruins into a major visitor attraction.

News of the bid was unveiled earlier this year when a consortium of the Cathedral, West Suffolk Council and English Heritage were awarded almost £730,000 to draw up plans for the substantial bid.

James Mellish with Abbey Heritage Partnership chair Matthew Vernon.James Mellish with Abbey Heritage Partnership chair Matthew Vernon. (Image: Abbey Heritage Partnership)

James Mellish, who was appointed project manager in September, is looking forward to working with the experienced consultant team.

He said, “This project will transform the way that residents and visitors from further afield engage with the Cathedral and Abbey site.

"We know that the consultant team appointments are key to ensuring we can deliver this goal and strengthen Bury St Edmunds’ place on the national and international heritage map.”

The Abbey ruins are already a major tourist attraction in Bury St Edmunds.The Abbey ruins are already a major tourist attraction in Bury St Edmunds. (Image: Newsquest)

Purcell’s design partner, Alasdair Travers, said: “We are delighted to be working on this ambitious project.

"The Abbey and Cathedral are important to the town and county on many levels.

"We have assembled a top design team to develop the new designs for the visitor centre and expansion of the Cathedral cloister, whilst conserving the heritage of the ruins to deliver a sustainable project for the enjoyment of generations to come.”