‘Positive steps’ in BID to help town

Officers have highlighted actions it’s proposed to improve Spalding, including ‘positive steps’ having been made towards the possible creation of a Business Improvement District.

The Spalding Town Centre Improvement Group and South Holland District Council work was outlined to the town’s forum last week.

Other work included encouraging a clean up of the outside of the Bet Fred building and an application had gone in for National Lottery funding for improved way finders around the town.

The council was also looking at Arts Council funding for Ayscoughfee Hall.

On the creation of a BID, an organisation which town centre businesses would pay into and decide on where the funding went, SHDC’s assistant director for strategic growth and development Matthew Hogan, said: “In the past few months we’ve commissioned a piece of work working with businesses to understand the feasibility of a stronger business-led partnership, within the town that could take forward things that the businesses would like.

“Potentially building on that there’s the Business Improvement District and that’s been a really positive exercise.

“It demonstrates there’s appetite from some of the town centre businesses to look at the strengthening of the way they work together.

“There’s a long way to go but it’s a positive step.”

Strategic and operational property manager Marc Whelan spoke about work carried out by the district council including work at Ayscoughfee such as the creation of a Changing Places toilet.

A planning application for the water fountain to be placed in the gardens, an artist’s impression of which was showed to the group (pictured), was due to come in the next few weeks, he said.

He also commented on the positive feedback experienced over the completed works at Spalding Cemetery and Daffodil Route.

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones urged Lincolnshire County Council to do work on the sections of the latter, a cycle network linking the town centre at Wardentree Industrial Estate.

“I see LCC have got another tranche of cycling money come in and we need to do our utmost to encourage them to spend some of that money in Spalding and complete the remainder of the cycleway up to at least the same standard all the way through and deliver something to be proud of and encourage walking and cycling into that employment area.”