Cornhill Quarter. Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite
A drop in footfall and increasing costs are to blame for dwindling local businesses in the newly refurbished Cornhill Quarter, claim the last surviving independent shops in the area.
Despite the reduction in local names though, some business owners agree that the area has improved since the revamp began, and a visitor boost is coming.
Ever since the £70 million regeneration scheme was announced, national brands seem to be queuing up to move into the new units.
It was a story of struggle for many of the existing local shops, particularly on Sincil Street, for the first couple of years of development.
Chatterton & Sons bakery with Stacey in the centre. Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite
Stacey Smith, the manager at Chatterton & Sons bakery, said that business has been struggling ever since the old bus station was demolished.
After 18 years in the bakery, she still has fond memories of a bustling local market: “Things have improved but I don’t know if they will get back to what it used to be.
“When the old market was here, people would shop at the local stores and we would be able to help customers find whatever it was they needed. That’s all changed.
“The smaller local businesses that used to be here could not keep up with the drop in footfall. I don’t think they were pushed out, they just couldn’t keep up.
“Of course it’s sad to see the smaller local businesses go. We have been here for such a long time so it’s a close-knit community, they were our friends and we worked well together.
“We thought that the footfall would flourish when the bigger names started to come in but it hasn’t quite happened. Hopefully, after all the work is done business will improve.”
Paul Pepperdine has worked in the butchers shop since he was 14-years-old. Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite
Just down the street Paul Pepperdine, who owns a family butcher with his name on the door, has a more positive outlook for the future.
The 68-year-old said in his busy shop: “For the first 18 months we were losing shed loads of money but now in the last 18 months trade has picked up tremendously.
He said:
“We’ve seen a lot of local shops replaced by national ones but that is for the better.
“When work is complete we’ll have a mix of national businesses and a select few local traders.”
“North of the Cornhill Quarter is going to start and it’s going to be chaos up there, but we’ve had our share and we’ve been through the mincer.”
A few smaller units are still empty on Sincil Street, which could be ideal for some local independent business owners.
There’s still plenty of work to do in the Cornhill Quarter. Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite
Lincolnshire Co-op seems to think the same, and has recently marketed 21 and 23 Sincil Street solely for independent business.
Ursula Lidbetter, Lincolnshire Co-op chief executive, said: “It has always been our main aim to ensure we have the right mix of national and local outlets in the Cornhill Quarter scheme.
“Sincil Street already has many of our fantastic independent traders, along with some new names like 200 Degrees and Lakeland.
“We feel the two refurbished shops will be a great opportunity for the independent retail business to flourish.”
The market fruit and vegetable trader Steve Sharpe is a little more cynical. Photo: Connor Creaghan for The Lincolnite
Steve Sharpe has owned the fruit and vegetable store in the Central Market for over 30 years and seems to have a little more cynical view on the area.
He said: “We’ve had a gradual decline in business but that is down to a few different things.
“There’s construction traffic, the market area has been decimated and there is no parking out here. It’s a combination of lots of things, we get years when it’s good and years when it is bad.
“When people go to York they go to the Shambles because they’re unique and you cannot find those shops elsewhere. That’s what we need more of in Lincoln.”
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City of Lincoln Council has approved a 1.9% tax hike despite a series of cuts for 2021-22 due to the financial uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 1.9% rise will take city council’s share of council tax for a Band D property in Lincoln to £285.39 – an increase of £5.31.
The executive committee agreed on increasing allotment charges, council house and garage rents.
Council bosses predict a budget gap of £1.75 million and said it must close the hole for financial stability.
Allotment charges will also see most tenants pay between £58.70-£78.30 per year from 2022, an increase of between 38p and 51 pence per week.
Council housing rent will increase by an average of 1.5%, while council garage rents will increase by 3%.
Attendees at City of Lincoln Council’s executive on Monday.
The authority said it faces a number of ongoing challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and requires a substantial reduction in all of its budgets.
Cllr Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council said: “It’sareasonablymodestincreaseformostpeople,andwewill support lowincomegroups stillwiththeconcessions.”
The council has saved more than £9 million annually over the past decade, however will have to increase savings by £850,000 next year, rising to £1.75 million by 2023/24.
Due to the pandemic’s impact on government funded reliefs, empty properties and business closures, the authority estimates it will only retain £5.1 million of the £42 million of business rates generated in the city.
The draft budget will go to consultation and return before the council later this year for a final decision.
There have been 372 new coronavirus cases and nine COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 325 new cases in Lincolnshire, 30 in North Lincolnshire and 17 in North East Lincolnshire.
Some nine deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in North and North East Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported nine new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust on Monday. Hospital deaths have now surpassed 1,000 since the pandemic started in Greater Lincolnshire.
National cases increased by 37,535 to 3,433,494, while deaths rose by 599 to 89,860.
Leader of South Holland District Council, Cllr Lord Gary Porter, put the spike down to outbreaks in two care facilities, one being a children’s care home.
A group of urban explorers who travelled from three different counties to look around derelict buildings were caught and fined in Grantham for breaching lockdown rules. Two groups of revellers in the woods near Woodhall Spa have also been fined.
In national news, Public Health England have confirmed 4,062,501 people have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Those in England aged 70 and over, as well as the clinically extremely vulnerable, will begin receiving offers of a coronavirus vaccine this week.
Ten hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds in the most recent figures available.
It comes as hospital waiting times, coronavirus admissions and patients requiring intensive care are rising.
All UK travel corridors, which allow arrivals from some countries to avoid having to quarantine, have now closed until at least February 15.
Travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, also have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test to be allowed entry.
Supermarkets face increased inspections from local councils to ensure they are COVID-secure amid a push from the government to clamp down further on coronavirus transmission.
Local governments have been asked by ministers to target the largest supermarkets for inspection to ensure companies are enforcing mask wearing, social distancing and limits on shopper numbers.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate up to January 17 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 11 to Jan 17. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, January 18
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
44,374 cases (up 372)
30,784 in Lincolnshire (up 325)
6,927 in North Lincolnshire (up 30)
6,663 in North East Lincolnshire (up 17)
1,686 deaths (up nine)
1,196 from Lincolnshire (up nine)
268 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
222 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,006 hospital deaths (up 10)
612 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up nine)
30 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
363 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
3,433,494 UK cases, 89,860 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.
Eight people were fined for two separate COVID-19 rule breaches over the weekend, after being found partying and camping near Woodhall Spa.
Officers were called to two different incidents at Ostler’s Plantation, a woodland area near Woodhall Spa on Saturday, January 16 and on Sunday, January 17.
Five people were issued with £200 fines after a report of partying at around 11.08pm on Saturday.
The next morning, police were again called to the area at 8.21am after people were seen camping at the location.
Three people were fined as a result of this, again valued at £200 due to being first time offenders.
If these fines are paid within 14 days of the offence, the cost will be cut in half to £100.
On the same weekend, but this time in a different location, six urban explorers were fined after travelling from three different counties to try and gain access to an abandoned hospital in Grantham.
The behaviour of COVID-19 rule breakers has been described as “dangerous” by Lincolnshire Police’s assistant chief constable Kerrin Wilson, who referred to them as “Covidiots”.
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