Local joint venture’s new valve for heating woes

The High Street could be on the verge of collapse, as retail giant Arcadia fell into administration, putting some 13,000 jobs at risk and Debenhams is shutting down.

The retail empire owned by Sir Philip Green owns the Topshop and Topman brands, as well as Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge among others.

Arcadia operates from 444 sites in the UK as well as online, and currently has more than 9,000 staff on furlough.

It has faced major financial damage from non-essential retail stores being forced to close as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Debenhams on St Mark Street. | Photo: Emily Norton for The Lincolnite

The fate of Debenhams was sealed after JD Sports pulled out of talks to rescue the retailer from collapse.

Now, 124 stores will close and more than 12,000 staff are likely to lose their jobs as administrators try to find a buyer.

Talks began after Debenhams slashed more than 2,500 jobs across the UK in August amid slow sales figures post-lockdown.

Arcadia went into administration after rejecting a £50 million loan offer from Frasers Group, a high street rival of Philip Green’s.

There is now growing pressure on Mr Green to fund the future of the company’s pension scheme, valued at around £350 million.

Deloitte has now been drafted in to find a buyer for the company and help keep the businesses running.

Matt Smith, joint administrator at Deloitte, said: “Arcadia sits at the heart of the high street, and has been striving to combat the impact of COVID-19 throughout this year.

“Now the effect of the lockdowns, combined with broader challenges facing bricks and mortar retailers, have resulted in a critical funding requirement for the group and today’s administration.”

No redundancies have been made as yet, and the stores are expected to open and trade as normal once lockdown is lifted on Wednesday.

Orders made online over the Black Friday weekend will be honoured, according to administrators.

The writing was on the wall

Colin Davie, the county councillor in charge of economic development, said: “We all know that the high street was already in decline but COVID-19 has accelerated that process as online shopping has increased at a furious pace.

“The current high street, as we knew it will not return. We need to work at pace and redesign our high streets so they are full of local shops and businesses offering products and services which are not available online.

“They need to become destinations in their own right, rather than places we pass through.

“We need to start the process of getting people living in apartments on high streets above the reduced retail space below and we need to support these local businesses to digitise so they can compete with major online retail.

“I fully recognise that absentee landlords demanding sky high rents and the business rates regime is a physical barrier to retailers wanting to even be on a physical high street and government needs to urgently review their position in these regards.

“The announcement of this morning will sadly not be the last.”

Police evacuated residents from multiple homes in Barrowby near Grantham after a suspected unexploded bomb was found in a garden.

Officers were joined by the explosive ordnance disposal team at a house on Low Road in the village.

It is believed that an undetonated bomb has been found in the garden of a home in the area, with properties within 100 metres being evacuated as a precaution earlier on Tuesday.

Police have now confirmed that the item is not a bomb and there is no risk to the public.

Road closures have been removed and residents are able to return to their homes.

The Pandora store on Lincoln High Street will reopen independently this week, after its partnership with John Greed ended.

The 13-year relationship between John Greed and Pandora ended in February 2019, which caused the shop to temporarily close.

It then shut earlier than expected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but is now set to make a return.

Pandora will now reopen its doors as an owned and operated store on the High Street on Saturday, December 5, selling its Christmas collection as well as other signature items.

Signs have been put up outside the shop, stating: “Our exciting new store is opening soon.”

It means that there are now two Pandora sites in Lincoln, after one was opened inside the Waterside Shopping Centre in June.

The Lincoln branch will also be offering a click-and-collect service after a successful trial in selected UK stores.

A spokesperson for Pandora UK said: “Designed for those who feel uncomfortable or who are unable to shop online, the service will allow customers to place jewellery orders directly with stores via email and phone.

“Orders will then be available to collect from their chosen store at an agreed time.

“The new initiative will support both store teams and our franchise and O&O network during this difficult time, whilst also mitigating queues when the lockdown lifts.”

Lincoln’s Yarborough Leisure Centre could be replaced with a new and modern “leisure hub” in the Western Growth Corridor under potential city council plans for sports provision.

The assessment on sports facilities also suggests the City of Lincoln Council will consider the future of Birchwood Leisure Centre, including the potential to replace it as well.

Members of the Policy Scrutiny Committee will examine the report by LK2 Associates on Tuesday.

In recommendations to the council, LK2 suggests the medium term plan to consider “the replacement of Yarborough Leisure Centre in the north of Lincoln” including “how this might impact on other sites such as Ravendale sports ground, Bishop Grosseteste University, Sudbrooke Drive and Sobraon barracks”.

The long term plan would be to develop a new “leisure hub” within the Western Growth Corridor as well as support a new stadium for Lincoln City and the development of sports grounds, facilities and offerings from Lincoln’s universities and college.

“Ultimately, the long-term plan for the sports provision across the city is to replace ageing stock and provide modern sports and leisure offerings that attract high levels of participation,” said the report.

The latest masterplan for the Western Growth Corridor showing the bus-only routes.

The Western Growth Corridor alone is expected to increase the number of residents by more than 7,000.

The plan would be part of a new “tiered” approach to providing “pitch-based” sports in the city as it grows in the next 20 years.

The tiers include:

• One – a large single site with multiple indoor and outdoor sports offerings and full community access
• Two – A single site with multiple sport offerings with managed or agreed community access
• Three – a small site with separate sports/activity offerings
• Four – a small site with only one sport or activity offered

LK2 said the idea would be to have tier one facilities in central locations based on a geographical split, with lower tier facilities supporting them.

“The provision of sporting venues across the city is currently disparate and has been developed over the years on the basis of demand rather than strategic thinking,” said the report.

“In the future, a coordinated approach to provision could dramatically improve the participation rates for sport, physical activity and health and wellbeing and maximise efficiencies particularly in maintenance, programming and financial sustainability.”

A map showing the nearest existing sites which would be considered “tier 1” under the new plans. | Image: LK2

A survey carried out by Sport England between May 2019-May 2020 shows that 28.7% of Lincoln residents were classed as “inactive” (less than 30 minutes a week) – compared to 30.6% county wide and 25.5% across the whole of Lincoln.

However, 62.5% of the population did more than 150 minutes of activity a week, compared to 57% in Lincolnshire and 62.8% in England.

Sports England would have a major say in any final decisions. The move would also hinge on the Western Growth Corridor getting the go ahead.

The 3,200-home development was submitted by the City of Lincoln Council to its own planning committee in September.

It includes 20 hectares of commercial/employment space, a new leisure village, green space and flood mitigation improvements.