The £16.5 million venue, which will open in March, has been hit by project delays and inflated costs.

There was public outcry in March this year after St Edmundsbury Borough Council decided to pay £30,000 to consultants to come up with a name and help market the venue.

Now a name has been chosen – but the public will not be told what it is until the end of the month.

At a full council meeting on Monday, Cllr Lynsey Alexander, portfolio holder for culture and sport, was quizzed by Cllr Mark Ereira-Guyer over the name.

"In terms of the public venue, which is incredibly exciting for St Edmundsbury and West Suffolk, and it is tantalisingly close, I understand the name has been selected but that it is being kept top secret," he said.

Cllr Alexander said: "We have a cabinet working party that has chosen the name and it will be put forward to the next cabinet meeting."

That takes place on July 29.

Cllr Ereira-Guyer speaking to the Bury Free Press this week, said that he was still in the dark.

"They are all sworn to secrecy. I don't know why it is being kept secret – unless it is controversial – maybe they want to give it a bit of a fanfare, but it is hard to judge because I haven't got a clue what it might be.

"People are quite keen to know what it is. Maybe it is going to be unveiled by some celebrity."

Cllr Alexander, however, said that it was simply going through a political process.

"We have gone through about 1,000 names and got it down to one name. Obviously we want to make a bit of a thing about it. I'm pleased with it and hope other people will be, too," she said.

Resident Simon Harding said that West Suffolk College students had suggested The Vat or Vats as a name.

"It's short, it's punchy, it commemorates agriculture and the brewery. It is a mixing receptacle and that is exactly what this venue will be," he said.


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