Horse racing: Controversial plans for the reinstatement of the West Common race course have been unveiled.
Plans for the return of the controversial horse racing course at Lincoln’s West Common have been unveiled on Friday, June 11th, by the Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company (LRRC) and the Lincoln Racecourse Trust.
The course would bring investment of over £12 million over the next five to seven years, but residents living nearby worry over the negative effects the course would have in the area in terms of parking and traffic.
According to the developers’ plans, the Lincoln race course would include the renovation of the existing Grandstand, construction of new stable blocks and associated buildings, and improvements to the turf and drainage across the racecourse and the Common.
The full proposal document (PDF), which was confidential until today, is now available at the Lincoln Racecourse Regeneration Company‘s website. The document also highlights the previous history of horse racing in Lincoln, which was moved from Waddington to the West Common.
The developers anticipate that racing will only take place a maximum of 16 times per year, at various times of the week, specifically between March and October, with up to 5,000 people attending per event.
The proposal document mentions that 90,000 leaflets have been delivered and circulated across Lincoln that asked for direct feedback concerning the return of racing to Lincoln. Over 97% of those who have responded to date have replied that it will be of some benefit to the city and the local economy, it is claimed.
Not all residents in surrounding areas are convinced over the benefits of a reinstated race course. Many have complained about possible traffic and parking problems, which they claim would cripple Lincoln’s already packed streets.
LRRC’s proposal acknowledges these problems, but says that “the management of these visitors’ arrival and movement around the City will need careful planning and monitoring, much like the achievements of traffic and pedestrian flows at the Christmas Market, but on a much lesser scale.”
The West Common race course is part of Lincoln MP Karl McCartney’s plan to boost tourism and investment in the city. The media briefing on Friday came from LRRC spokeswoman Karen Rastall, who is an active accountant in Lincoln. She said she was asked by McCartney to take on this role.
The briefing though, was not uneventful. Besides formally launching the LRRC website and unveiling the proposal, reports emerged that between 30 and 40 local people were refused entry to the meeting, which were said to be there to protest against the race course plans.
Plans for the West Common race course are not finalised yet. In July this proposal will be discussed at a Commons Advisory Panel Meeting, and at some point in 2011, when reaching final stages, the public will be invited to view them, to comment and subsequently to do the same with any revised versions.
LRRC anticipates that if planning permission is granted, professional flat racing could return to Lincoln within five years.
A dramatic video shows a car engulfed in flames in the car park at Lincoln County Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
An on-call crew from Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue attended the scene on Greetwell Road shortly before 5pm on Tuesday, April 13.
The crew used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and fortunately no casualties were reported.
The car is probably a write-off. | Photo: The Lincolnite
Dramatic pictures from the scene show the severe damage that was caused to the front of the car.
Fall in county infections but a Boston spike
There have been 50 new coronavirus cases and three COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Tuesday — compared to 58 cases and no deaths this time last week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 26 new cases in Lincolnshire, 19 in North Lincolnshire and five in North East Lincolnshire.
On Tuesday, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire, none in North East Lincolnshire and -1 in North Lincolnshire. Fluctuations in data are usually due to some deaths in those areas being reallocated to other regions across the UK or a miscount. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England has reported two new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust hospitals.
On Tuesday, national cases increased by 2,472 to 4,375,814, while deaths rose by 23 to 127,123.
In local news, people aged over 45 can now book their COVID vaccinations on the NHS website after the government reached its target of offering a first dose to the nine most vulnerable groups.
There were recently some technical difficulties for people accessing the NHS website, but vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the issues have been fixed – book a vaccine online here and find out if you are eligible.
Over the weekend, Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate has fallen, with a spike in Boston only.
Similarly, the England average has also seen a drop in infections, but still remains nearly half Greater Lincolnshire’s rates.
Lincoln has dropped by more than half over the weekend and now has one of the smallest rates in the UK, with just 9.1 per 100,000 of the population infected with COVID-19.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s COVID-19 infection rates up to April 12:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 5 to Apr 12. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
In national news, Boris Johnson has warned that the reduction in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths “has not been achieved” by the rollout of COVID vaccines.
The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
England is giving out its first doses of the Moderna jab, the third COVID-19 vaccine in the nation’s rollout.
It will be available at 21 sites, included the Madejski Stadium in Reading and the Sheffield Arena.
Along with the Pfizer jab, it offers an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for under-30s, after concerns about a possible link to very rare blood clots.
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,772 cases (up 50)
2,184 deaths (up three)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (up two)
4,375,814 UK cases, 127,123 deaths
There will be another Kill The Bill protest in Lincoln next week, rallying against a new government bill that diminishes protesting rights.
Protests have been rife across the country since the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was first discussed, with scenes turning violent in Bristol.
Over two hundred people peacefully took part in the city’s first march at Speakers’ Corner on April 3, including Extinction Rebellion activists and Socialist and Labour supporters.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Now, after a post started doing the rounds on social media, another protest has apparently been scheduled for 2pm on Monday, April 17 at the same location on Lincoln High Street, as part of a national day of action.
A poster promoting a second event has been shared across social media platforms.
Protests are lawful once again after the government eased lockdown restrictions on March 29, but organisers are required to submit a risk assessment prior to any event.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Organisers of the last protest were in close communication with police to make the event safe, and The Lincolnite has asked Lincolnshire Police if they have been made aware of another protest, but are yet to receive a reply.
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