Locals transform 'bin alley' into community garden

An area between two terraces - dubbed "bin alley" by residents - has been transformed from an eyesore into a community garden.

The narrow passageway by Blomfield Street and Bishops Road in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, suffered from regular fly tipping and anti-social behaviour.

Locals started working together in 2025 to regenerate the space.

Cait O'Reilly said: "Many of us were upset by the extreme amount of rubbish being dumped there, and felt neglected and unsafe."

The project has been supported by the town's mayor, local councillors and Bury In Bloom, to raise the funds required for the transformation.

Along with removing litter and weeds, volunteers have now added hanging baskets and are planning a summer street party.

"The transformation has been incredible," said Ms O'Reilly.

"It's gone from being somewhere people avoided to a space the community feels proud of."

Stuart Gent is a recent arrival to Bury St Edmunds after leaving Cambridgeshire and regularly volunteers litter picking.

He said one of the catalysts for the community action was an unusual night-time disturbance.

He told BBC Radio Suffolk: "There was an arrest... somebody making a fuss and it was very noisy, everyone was awake.

"But everyone looked out and suddenly realised we had this alleyway filled with rubbish, old bins that had been discarded - and it was a place where anti-social behaviour and litter was commonplace."

Cllr Donna Higgins, the mayor of Bury St Edmunds, said: "When a community has the help it needs to turn a neglected back alley into a green space, it results - not just in a more pleasant environment - but also a safer one.

"A place cared for and well used is far less likely to attract less positive activity."

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