A tower crane now dominates the Bury St Edmunds skyline, marking a pivotal stage in the redevelopment of the former Post Office site.

Engineering company Superstructures has supplied drone footage, available on YouTube, which shows the 18-metre-high crane being installed last week.

Why-is-there-a-giant-crane-in-Bury-St-Edmunds-

St Andrew's Street South between Woolhall Street and Brentgovel Street was shut for 48 hours to allow the tower crane to be delivered to site in sections using articulated low loaders.

Bury Mercury: The tower crane being lifted into position in Bury St Edmunds town centreThe tower crane being lifted into position in Bury St Edmunds town centre (Image: Pagepix Ltd.07976 935738)

A smaller 35-tonne mobile crane was then used to lift and land the sections to form the tower, and the slewing ring and cab were then put on top.

The main jib, which is 40 metres long, was assembled on the road before being lifted into place.

The Terrex Comedil Luffing Jib tower crane will now form part of the town's skyline for the next seven months and marks an important construction milestone in the project.

Bury Mercury: The tower crane will be in place for seven months for construction work on the former Post Office site in Bury St EdmundsThe tower crane will be in place for seven months for construction work on the former Post Office site in Bury St Edmunds (Image: Pagepix Ltd.07976 935738)

Craig Carr, associate at Superstructures, said: "It is imperative that the crane stays in place when it is lifting materials around the site and when it is stationary.

"It will be cantilevering out of the ground, so ensuring its stability to carry the weights and stay upright in all weather conditions is critical. To allow this, the tower crane is held in place by a large concrete base, which is supported by piles, and which acts as a counterweight.”

Bury Mercury: St Andrew's Street South between Woolhall Street and Brentgovel Street was shut for 48 hours to allow the tower crane to be delivered to site in sections using articulated low loadersSt Andrew's Street South between Woolhall Street and Brentgovel Street was shut for 48 hours to allow the tower crane to be delivered to site in sections using articulated low loaders (Image: Pagepix Ltd 07976 935738)

Barnes Construction is carrying out the redevelopment at 17-18 Cornhill on behalf of West Suffolk Council, working with its appointed architects Concertus Design and Property Consultants and structural engineers Superstructures.

When completed in summer 2022, the building will still have its Victorian façade, but behind the frontage there will be new purpose-built ground floor commercial units with 12 flats above.

Bury Mercury: Another image of the tower crane liftAnother image of the tower crane lift (Image: Pagepix Ltd 07976 935738)

Commercial floor space will be reconfigured to allow Market Thoroughfare, a walkway between the historic town centre and the Arc shopping centre, to be widened by over 50%, while a new commercial frontage is also being created onto St Andrew's Street South. This will help connect the Arc and the Cornhill and Buttermarket area as one coherent town centre and ensure maximum footfall between the two areas.

The multi-million-pound investment will also deliver on some of the aspirations of the town centre masterplan shaped by 8,000 public comments and adopted by West Suffolk Council in 2017.