The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Changing Holbeach’s Market Hill junction is to be the main priority after the town was one of 100 given special government cash to improve its ‘struggling’ High Street.
On Monday Holbeach was named in the second 50 of towns to benefit from the £1 billion Future High Street Fund.
County and district councillor Nick Worth has led the successful bid for the government funding hoping to claim up to £150,000.
He told The Voice that the majority of the money will go towards some of the recommendations laid out in the recently published transport plan for Holbeach.
It will also spark plans for the controversial Market Hill junction, Coun Worth said.
“I’m absolutely delighted and it could not have come at a better time,” he said of the news. “Holbeach, like quite a lot of high streets around the county, is struggling.
“It needs to do things differently and needs investment, particularly Market Hill to make it more pedestrian friendly and not got as much traffic.
“We’ve got quite a lot of work to do.
“A lot of it will be around the transport plan and on improving the conservation area.
“There’s one or two shop fronts that could do with a bit of attention and there’s parking issues that we could use the money for.
“But the main aim is the Market Hill junction which we have got to sort out.
“It’s the biggest issue and this should be the shot in the arm to come up with a firm plan for what happens to it.
“We’ve now got to get some ideas together to bring to the public.”
It’s not yet clear how much money Holbeach will receive.
When the bid for the money was submitted via South Holland District Council it applied for £225,000.
The government announcement states that the towns will only get up to £150,000.
The news comes after McColl’s was the latest to announce it was leaving the town’s High Street.
But Coun Worth says there’s plenty to celebrate in Holbeach and there’s even more to come.
“Holbeach has got a lot of good things happening with the Food Enterprise Zone coming that will bring in business which will also support the High Street.
“We’re working with Royals Gym and what they’re doing with The Chequers and The Bell looks fantastic including the new Petite Street which is the kind of innovative idea we need (full story on page 18).
“Hopefully it will bring more young families to the High Street who will then also use the shops and cafés around it.”
