Community effort urged to smarten up problematic Long Sutton site

The Long Sutton community is pulling together to make improvements to The Bull Hotel site.

It comes after communications between South Holland District Council and the owner dried up with no improvements to concerns raised over safety and security.

Now district councillor Laura Eldridge has launched a £5,000 appeal to fund the tidy-up and Long Sutton and District Civic Society is underwriting the cost of fencing the Market Place site.

It’s hoped that volunteers will help with the effort to tidy the site.
Civic society chairman Tim Machin appealed to the public and traders for help in tackling the eyesore.
He said on its Facebook page: “The plan is that we will, using volunteer labour, clear the site as best we can, of fly-tipped rubbish and do a strim/weed-kill.
“Using steel mesh (Heras) fencing, backed by a semi transparent mesh tarpaulin (to camouflage the site, but also allow some surveillance), we will fence the Bull Lane frontage and plug any other gaps where people can gain access to the site.”

Mr Machin also said the society was planning something “a bit special” to improve the appearance of the main building, as the artwork on the windows was looking “tired” and timbers are beginning to rot.
He added: “We will also have a look to see what we can do to improve the appearance of Barlings Butchers on the opposite corner of Bull Lane.
“We will get on with this as soon as we can, but we will need help from people to make it happen.”

Coun Eldridge, who organised a meeting involving interested parties last month (Apr), is pleased with the progress, not just as a councillor but as a resident of the town.

She said: “I feel I have achieved as much as I can as a district councillor and am now seeking other ways to improve the situation we find ourselves in.
“This suggestion seems like a wonderful idea to me and an opportunity to demonstrate our community spirit.  It will also demonstrate to any potential new developer that we are a community that is determined and committed to making where we live and work a better place to be.
“This will be a great example of Localism in action and a good way to gauge public response, by exploring what support there is – not just financially but also from any active involvement.”

To donate to the crowdfunding page visit www.justgiving.com and search “The Bull Hotel”.