New trees and planters have been installed in Gainsborough Town Centre to kick start improvements aimed at transforming our historic market place.
West Lindsey District Council was awarded a share of the Reopening High Street Safely (RHSS) / Welcome Back Fund (WBF) scheme via the UK Government and the European Regional Development Fund, to help boost the look and feel of high streets.
Residents in Gainsborough will see a number of changes to the market place in the lead up to Christmas including the new trees and planters, refurbished benches and bins, which we hope will improve the experience of those visiting the town centre.
In addition, plans are also in place to include new digital visitor information screens to keep people updated with what is going on. Complimentary entertainment is also planned to support the monthly farmers markets including children’s characters music and much more.
The improvements are a small first step as we gear up delivery of the £10 million Levelling Up Programme, which was announced in October.
The Council has successfully been awarded £10,274,858 from Central Government as part of its plans to create a ‘Thriving Gainsborough’. The national scheme was created to support town centre and high street regeneration, local transport projects, and cultural and heritage assets.
The exciting plans for Gainsborough include; improving Whittons Gardens creating a park at the Baltic Mill, building a new cinema, refurbishing the bus station, bringing an extension to our heritage-led regeneration, creating new homes in the town centre above shops and improving the market place as a centre piece of the town where people can enjoy outdoor dining and visit our twice weekly street market with friends and family.
Cllr Trevor Young, ward member for Gainsborough welcomed the news.
He said: “I am pleased to see the improvements in the market place and to hear that entertainment is planned to attract more people to support the local market in the town. There is so much activity planned to take place in the town over the coming years and I am excited to see these plans progress and come to fruition.”
Caistor and Market Rasen have also been allocated a share of the funding to support activity, which will be revealed once details have all been finalised.
The new extended Riverside walk is set to open up in the town soon, where people will be able to enjoy an uninterrupted 2.7 mile stroll along the River bank from the picturesque village of Morton all the way to the historic Trent Bridge.
In addition to the street scene public realm improvements, new sensor taps and infrared flushes will be installed at the public conveniences in the town as part of a wider scheme to improve the facilities across West Lindsey.
The projects which is also funded from the Welcome Back Fund includes improvements to public toilets that reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus if there is another outbreak. The new adaptations are expected to cost more than £16,000 across three sites in West Lindsey.
Further details of the improvements and dates of when the improvement work will take place will be announced when they are due to start.
If you are a business in Gainsborough or across West Lindsey, did you know support is available?
- Free business support is available as West Lindsey District Council has secured the support of Clare Bailey, a Lincolnshire-based independent business advisor. You can contact Clare directly via clare.bailey@retailchampion.co.uk in the first instance, or call 07462 218000.
- Discounted one-year membership with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). As part of the Council’s partnership with FSB, we are offering business owners an £80 discount on a one-year membership. Register your interest in this FSB promotion