Regeneration: Businessman Jonathan Pass detailed his rejected bid to buy and revamp The Lawn complex at a public meeting.
More than 100 people attended a public meeting in Lincoln, where businessman Jonathan Pass detailed his rejected bid to buy and revamp The Lawn complex.
The hotelier already owns Charlotte House Hotel in the complex, as well as several other properties in the uphill area, including upmarket accommodation and restaurants.
He revealed on Monday evening that he offered the City of Lincoln Council £1 million for the parts of The Lawn complex on sale, with further £2.5 million in development costs.
The majority of people attending supported the plans and called upon the City of Lincoln Council to take action and not let The Lawn get run down.
As previously reported, his plans included turning The Lawn into a boutique hotel, with bars, restaurants and green areas open to the public.
But he was the only one to place a bid for the complex, and the City of Lincoln Council rejected his bid as it fell short of the council’s price expectation.
The City Council put The Lawn on sale last year because retaining the property was no longer feasible due to mounting maintenance costs.
“This is really a substantial building. We could really make it work. It could be the third jewel in the crown of Lincoln,” Jonathan Pass said.
“We bid what we thought was market value. We also submitted a much higher bid, but was refused as well unfortunately.
“I don’t think [the rejection] is about the money, so much as it is about the ideas,” he added.
Under the terms of The Lawn sale, access for the Christmas Market, organised by the City Council, would have still been maintained on the premises.
The County Council is spending £20 million to revamp Lincoln Castle with a new vault to showcase Magna Carta, complete wall tours and free access by 2015.
Councillor Eddie Poll, Executive for Economic Development at Lincolnshire County Council, was also present at the meeting.
He said: “I don’t see [the plans] being in conflict with anything we’re doing across here. Almost anything you do here it’s going to be better than this at the moment.
“I don’t know why the City Council rejected his bid. I’m sure they have their reasons and I’m sure they would be able to justify those to anybody who asked.”
Councillor Ric Metcalfe, Leader of the City of Lincoln Council, said: “The situation with the Lawn remains the same – the council feels it would be improper to sell such an important building based on just one bid.
“It is our duty as owners of The Lawn to ensure that we secure its future in the best possible way, and we are now taking time to consider the options available for the building.”
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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