The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A contractor is about to be appointed with a view to starting an £8.8m highways project in Holbeach in May.
Lincolnshire County Council’s executive has now approved plans to progress with improvement works at Peppermint Junction, as well as moving forward with the creation of a South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) and the delivery of approximately 900 new homes.
The council said: “The highways works, required to unlock growth opportunities in Holbeach, include the creation of a new, three-arm roundabout at the existing junction of the A17/A151 and a new four-arm roundabout to the south of the A17.
“These will provide access to residential land to the east of the A151 and open up development land to the west of the A151 for the FEZ.”
A provisional £2.4m has been secured from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Growth Fund for the improvements, with the remaining to come from developers and the county council.
Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said: “Not only will the improvements create a safer route for drivers, but it will also release land for the creation of housing and the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone.
“We’re currently in the process of selecting a contractor to carry out the highway works, with a view to starting on site in May.”
The FEZ will be located next to the A17 and A151 and is designed to support agri-food businesses, with a particular focus on the food technology sector. When complete, the multi-million pound development will create around 59,000sq m of new business space, capable of supporting over 2,000 jobs. The University of Lincoln has outline planning consent to move part of its existing Holbeach campus to a new, purpose-built facility within the FEZ.
Coun Colin Davie, executive member for economic development, said: “The agri-food and food manufacturing sectors are integral parts of Lincolnshire’s economy, so developing land for the South Lincolnshire FEZ will support existing businesses, as well as those looking to invest and relocate to the county.
“Now that plans are approved, we’re very much looking forward to breaking ground so we can further substantiate Lincolnshire’s place in the food industry.”
And member for Holbeach, Coun Nick Worth, said: “The FEZ has been in talks since 2015, so it’s great to have reached the stage where all of our discussions will soon start becoming reality.
“I’m delighted to see this investment coming to Holbeach since the FEZ will attract innovative businesses to the area and create highly-skilled job opportunities.”
