How will Lincoln look in 2020? Councillors reveal vision for city’s future
More housing, a teaching hospital and the completion of the £30 million transport hub are some of the items at the top of the agenda for the City of Lincoln Council over the next three years. The Vision 2020 report sets out the council’s strategic priorities and lays out how it will focus its budget between now and 2020.…
Saving trees: A digital version of the Vision 2020 report which sets out the council's agenda for the next three years. Photo: The Lincolnite
More housing, a teaching hospital and the completion of the £30 million transport hub are some of the items at the top of the agenda for the City of Lincoln Council over the next three years.
The Vision 2020 report sets out the council’s strategic priorities and lays out how it will focus its budget between now and 2020. It was supported unanimously at a meeting of the full council on Tuesday, January 10.
The report follows a month-long consultation with organisations and local residents to find out which areas they would like to see prioritised, which gained 328 responses.
Plans include projects already achieved and underway in Lincoln in terms of infrastructure, industry, retail, leisure and culture, as well as opportunities and challenges in crime, housing and environment.
The council says that due to funding constraints no additional money is available to spend over the next three years, therefore projects included are largely those that have already been started or agreed.
The council marks its key milestones in the comprehensive report over the next three years, including:
The city’s ongoing £30 million Lincoln Transport Hub
Leadership on development of around 3,200 homes, retail and leisure facilities on the 20 hectare Western Growth Corridor in west Lincoln
Renewal of the Lincoln Carbon Strategy by 2019
Supporting the completion of the £12 million renovation of the grad II listed Corn Exchange and Cornhill Quarter redevelopment
Use of a £50,ooo community chest fund to regenerate Park ward
Assessments of retail opportunities including plans to transform City Square
Explorations for the option of a teaching hospital in Lincoln
Supporting the deliver of the Lincoln Science and Innovation Park
Supporting the development of the southern bypass, A15 improvements and improvements in rail services
The report sets out a target to deliver more housing in the city, noting that there were more than 2,000 households on the affordable housing waiting list.
It also gives a nod to achievements in education, industrial expansion and investments at local firms Bifrangi and Siemens.
Councillor Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council
Labour Council Leader Ric Metcalfe said: “While the national economy continues to deal with the effects of years of downturn, many areas like Lincoln can help drive growth and innovation.
“We want to show our residents and customers that the city council is committed to Lincoln’s future and is best placed to deliver for the city. Customers are at the heart of what we do, and this plan seeks to meet the needs of the city while matching the aspirations of the residents we serve.
“We want people to imagine a future where the city is renowned for its ambition and capacity to respond to challenges and opportunities as they arise.
“Our Vision 2020 seeks to not only deal with the most pressing issues in the city, but also details how the council will work, with others, to further grow our economy, while ensuring our most vulnerable residents share in the city’s prosperity.
“In order to become self-sufficient financially, we have set our priorities to ensure spending is targeted where it’s needed most and where it can be most effective, while exploring opportunities to create additional income streams.”
MP gives cautious welcome
Lincoln MP Karl McCartney. Photo: Steve Smailes/The Lincolnite
Conservative Lincoln MP Karl McCartney has welcomed the report, but also taken the opportunity to challenge the Labour-led council on a number of political issues.
He said: “As Lincoln’s Member of Parliament I welcome the broad thrust of Vision 2020, which is surprisingly upbeat and, unusually for the Labour-run city council, it paints our wonderful city in a positive light, to some extent.
“I am delighted that the council’s Labour leadership now purport to recognise that they themselves must deliver high performing services that achieve value for money, but the proof of the pudding is always in the eating.
“Whether it’s the council’s introduction of toilet charges across the city, its failure to introduce a city-wide park and ride scheme, its dogmatic and greedy commitment to building on the Swanpool floodplain, or the council’s spending of over £1 million on hiring temporary and agency staff, Labour still continues to fail the hardworking taxpayers of Lincoln.
“There are therefore many aspects of Labour’s longstanding political mismanagement of the city that I cannot endorse. However, whenever they are willing to work together to facilitate improvements to the city through monies granted from my Conservative colleagues making decisions in Westminster in our Conservative government, I will of course do everything I can along with my Conservative city council colleagues to maximise the benefits for my Lincoln constituents.”
Spotted an error? Please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
It has been a tragic week with three deaths on Lincolnshire’s roads after two male motorbike riders and a man on a pedal bike lost their lives.
The roads are now busier again after further lockdown restrictions were eased on April 12, but since then three men have sadly died.
A man died after falling from his pedal bike in Branston on Wednesday, April 14 and police said his death is not being treated as suspicious.
On the same day, a 34-year-old male died after a crash involving two motorcycles near Gainsborough.
The man who lost his life in the collision was riding a silver Wuyang motorcycle. The second motorcycle was a blue Suzuki being ridden by a man in his 30s, who was taken to hospital with suspected serious injuries.
A 54-year-old man from North Lincolnshire also died after his motorbike crashed with a Royal Mail post van on the A631 near Glentham at around 4pm on Thursday, April 15.
This comes after it was revealed on March 11 that for the first time in over three decades nobody had died on the county’s roads in the first months of the year, according to Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.
Lincolnshire Police revealed earlier this week that between 2018 and 2020 twenty five motorcyclists lost their lives on Lincolnshire’s roads.
There have been 285 coronavirus cases in Greater Lincolnshire and eight COVID-related deaths so far this week – a 7% drop in cases and one less death from the previous week.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday recorded 32 new cases in Lincolnshire, eight in North Lincolnshire and three in North East Lincolnshire.
On April 16, three deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in Northern Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported two hospitals this week so far, compared to none this time last week.
On Friday, national cases increased by 2,596 to 4,383,732, while deaths rose by 34 to 127,225.
In local news, Lincolnshire health bosses expect COVID-19 cases to rise in our region as lockdown is eased, but are optimistic that if numbers are kept low enough, then people will be free to enjoy the summer.
Andy Fox, Deputy Director of Public Health at Lincolnshire County Council, said the lifting of coronavirus restrictions this week had not caused any specific concerns yet.
Since Wednesday, Greater Lincolnshire has again seen a decrease in its infection rates overall, against an increase nationally.
All districts have seen a fall in their rates, except small increases in North Lincolnshire and South Holland. Lincoln has stayed the same and has the lowest rate in the region.
Boston has the highest infection rate of COVID-19 in Greater Lincolnshire and is ranked 9th in the UK.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to April 16:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Apr 9 to Apr 16. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
England’s R number has dropped slightly to between 0.7 and 1 according to the latest data this week. This means for every 10 people infected with COVID-19, they will pass it on to between seven and 10 others.
The new Indian variant of the COVID virus that’s been detected in the UK has all the hallmarks of a very dangerous virus.
It has two new significant mutations in the spike protein that help it infect cells and evade the immune system.
People are “likely” to need a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine within 12 months of getting the first two, Pfizer’s chief executive has said.
Dr Albert Bourla said a booster jab could be necessary “somewhere between six and 12 months” after the second one – and every year thereafter.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Friday, April 16
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
58,919 cases (up 43)
41,028 in Lincolnshire (up 32)
9,275 in North Lincolnshire (up eight)
8,616 in North East Lincolnshire (up three)
2,185 deaths (up three)
1,613 from Lincolnshire (up three)
304 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
268 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,302 hospital deaths (no change)
810 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (no change)
41 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
450 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (no change)
4,383,732 UK cases, 127,225 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
Plans to demolish part of a former play centre and Chinese takeaway to build 41 new student flats, have been submitted to the City of Lincoln Council.
Killingbeck PLG has applied for permission to demolish “most” of the existing facade of the former home of Imagination Station and Big Wok, on Beaumont Fee, and rebuild it as part of the development.
The main hall, a warehouse and a recently built “link block” to the rear of the building will also be demolished, and will be completely replaced with a new extension.
In documents to the council, the applicant describes how the 41”study bedrooms” will be en-suite and open off a central circulation area.
The build will form part of the Iconinc post-graduate residential units development next door and will sit opposite the Park Court student accommodation on Park Street.
It will include 12 apartments on the ground floor, 11 at first and second floor and seven units on the third floor.
How the build could look.
The application said: “There is a clear need for good quality, post-graduate, city centre, residential accommodation and the economic case for the redevelopment of the site is reinforced by the fact the site can be linked with the new Iconic development so amenities can be shared.
“The demolition of the existing property and the proposed redevelopment will bring positive benefits to the area economically and aesthetically.”
As part of the build, residents will gain shared access to existing facilities including the gym.
Whatsapp
