July 11, 2011 5.20 pm This story is over 152 months old

Public get their say on Lindongate plans

On the table: Plans for a new bus station and shopping complex are in the public consultation stage.

The public are to be consulted over the multi-million pound Lindongate plans, which will transform part of Lincoln city centre and a transport interchange.

The scheme aims to bring change to St Mary’s Street, Sincil Street, Waterside South and Melville Street. The main parts of the plan include:

  • 300,000 square foot of retail space including a department store and additional shop units
  • new riverside restaurants with apartments
  • 875 city centre car parking spaces
  • a new bus station, which would replace the current bus station with a new building next to the train station
  • a footbridge connecting Tentercroft Street and the Sincil Bank area with the High Street

There will be displays in 30a Sincil Street, the former SPCK bookshop, which includes a video showing a ‘walkthrough’ of what the scheme could look like.

These will be on shown Tuesday, July 12 until Saturday, July 16 and Monday, July 18 until Friday, July 22.

There will also be the chance to go into the shop on Wednesday, July 13 from 11am to 2pm as well as on Thursday, July 14 from 5pm to 7pm.

On these days, there will be more information on display and a chance to talk to people involved in the scheme.

People can also give feedback online on the website, which contains the plans as well as further artists’ impressions.

Ursula Lidbetter, Lincolnshire Co-operative Chief Executive, is happy that the development plans to keep the “ambience of this area” as it will keep the “character of small shops and the quirky street scene whilst creating some really big retail space”.

Lidbetter says it is important that businesses stay in the city centre rather than move to the edges.

Lindongate Plans Overhead LargeClick to enlarge

This plan is a key part of the city centre masterplan to “make sure it [city centre] is cohesive and to make sure that it does work together”.

Getting to this stage has been a long process, as plans were originally submitted in 2008 by Lincolnshire Co-operative and Modus, but the joint applicant Modus went into liquidation in 2009 putting the application to a halt.

Since then Lincolnshire Co-operative, the landowner and remaining applicant, has worked through agents like Banks Long Co, planning consultants Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners and architects Lyons + Sleaman + Hoare to continue with progress on the application.

The main changes have been made to the bus station, changes to the footbridge from Tentercroft Street, a reduction in the height of most of the buildings and changes to the road pattern.

It is expected that once the application has been accepted then planning permission will be given later this year, with work first starting on the new bus station in 2012 and the rest of the development in 2013.

Source: Lincolnshire Co-operative