Despite the COVID-19 pandemic consuming our lives with disruption and stress since March, developers and councils have still been looking to build in our area.
There have been plenty of big developments this year, reinforcing how the county is ever expanding and modernising.
Here are the key developments that have been completed this year and ones which have been given the go-ahead for 2021.
Lincoln Eastern bypass
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Opened officially on December 19, the Lincoln Eastern Bypass cost Lincolnshire County Council £120 million to build, with part of the funding coming from central government.
The single carriageway bypass starts at a new roundabout on the A15 Sleaford Road and finishes at the A158 Wragby Road.
This connects the existing northern relief road and is the next step towards creating a complete ring road around the city.
Lincoln MP Karl McCartney, perhaps in jest, said it should be named after him for all the effort he’s put into enabling the project.
The Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham
The proposed statue of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Grantham.
Probably the most controversial development of 2020, where South Kesteven District councillors approved a £100,000 spend on an event to unveil the new Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham.
However, plans will be reconsidered, after an opposition member requested the call in for the scrutiny committee, which could reverse the decision by the Conservative leadership.
The £300,000 bronze statue of the Iron Lady, which would sit on a 10ft plinth (making it 20ft tall overall), on St Peter’s Hill Green, was brought to the town by Grantham Museum, SKDC and a Public Memorials Appeal.
A white palm tree, created by artist Wolfgang Weileder, looks set to tower over Cleethorpes as part of regeneration plans.
You will not miss this approved development when driving to the beach, that’s for sure.
The 72ft tall white palm tree designed by artist Wolfgang Weileder is taller than the Angel of the North and illuminated by spotlights, serving as a “warning for the future” on climate change.
The project attracted mixed reactions from residents, with some describing the sculpture as a “laughing stock”.
This was all part of reinvention project of a Grimsby building into a multi-million-pound Youth Zone set to be completed as part of the town’s new Heritage Action Zone (HAZ).
The University of Lincoln Medical School
Lincoln Medical School on December 21. | Photo: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
The new five-storey medical school welcomed its first cohort of undergraduate medical students to Lincoln in September 2019 and a purpose-built facility to house the school is currently being developed.
Also, lots of new student accommodation has been built in Lincoln for the new intake of students, one even comes with a private cinema.
Cornhill Quarter takes shape
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Cornhill Quarter’s Everyman cinema opened in Lincoln on August 21 after COVID delays. It joined new restaurants like The Botanist which opened earlier in the summer as the whole area has been revamped.
Sadly, they only briefly got the chance to open properly before the November lockdown and tier 3 measures that don’t allow cinemas and restaurants to open.
Lower Lincoln high street revamp
Photo: CoLC
A £3.5 million injection into “heritage-led” regeneration in Lincoln was approved in July this year.
The City of Lincoln Council plans to create a “High Street Heritage Action Zone” which would allow it to issue grants for the area around High Street, St Mary’s Road and Wigford Way, extending to Sincil Street and Sibthorpe Street.
The grants would allow for historic shop front and heritage renovations, conversions of upper floor residential areas, developing “gap sites” and work to the public realm areas.
Norton Disney Rendering Plant resubmission
The new plan includes a picnic area, nature trail and a viewing platform for the Lancaster Bomber sculpture. Photo: Adobe
Developers behind a refused £28 million animal rendering plant in Norton Disney have announced plans to resubmit the proposals with a new heritage site.
The controversial plan was lodged by Lincoln Proteins Ltd for a site at Villa Farm and would have seen the firm move from its Skellingthorpe factory.
However, Lincolnshire County Council’s planning committee unanimously refused the plan in February following concerns over heritage and location.
There were fears the facility would “overshadow” the Lancaster Bomber gateway sculpture being built off the A46.
When the plans were originally submitted, there was objection from both local residents and North Kesteven District Council over odour and location.
The county council received 1,105 letters of objection.
New Public Sector Hub in Horncastle
The plans for ELDC’s new shared base with Boston College.
The “public sector hub” is planned to be built at the former Horncastle Residential College off the town’s Mareham Road.
The development has previously been described as being a “smaller, fit-for-purpose” hub and could also house partners such as health and police services in the future.
The first courses are hoped to start in September 2021.
Lincoln Western Growth Corridor
The latest masterplan for the Western Growth Corridor showing the bus-only routes.
Lincolnshire County Council submitted an objection to plans for the Western Growth Corridor housing development in Lincoln due to concerns that it could make “already difficult congestion far worse”.
Amended plans were submitted by the city council earlier this year to its own planning committee, for 3,200 new homes built on land west of Tritton Road. Among the latest revisions, large parts of the development’s proposed spine route have been designated for buses, pedestrians and cyclists only.
There have been several other large housing development stories this year:
A vegan hamper was gifted to the council as a thanks for rejecting proposals to build a chicken farm with 270,000 birds by grateful animal activists.
A solicitor’s letter sent to councillors prior to them rejecting the “chicken prison” near Grantham could have been seen as “threatening” and “intimidating” a planning chairman said.
However, this wasn’t an easy decision, with councillors being “between a rock and a hard place.”
Previously, the head teacher of a school close to the proposed farm said its existence was “under threat” after parents threatened to remove their children if the plans went ahead.
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The 2024 Lincolnshire Business Excellence Awards are now open for nominations, seeking to spotlight outstanding businesses within the Greater Lincolnshire area.
Hosted by Stonebow Media, the publisher behind The Lincolnite and the MyLocal platform, this prestigious event is designed to honour the achievements of the regional business community.
Thanks to the headline sponsorship from the University of Lincoln Enterprise & Research department, the Lincolnshire Business Excellence Awards are a unique opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of local enterprises.
The awards are also sponsored by Ringrose Law, Duncan & Toplis, Sills & Betteridge and Pearson Hydraulics. A small number of sponsorship opportunities remain available. Contact [email protected] to discuss partnerships.
Businesses can nominate themselves across eleven awards categories:
The deadline for nominations is May 24, with the judges’ deliberation lunch set for May 29.The judging panel includes business experts and professionals from Lincolnshire and event sponsors.
The Lincolnshire Business Excellence Awards 2024 gala will take place at the Engine Shed on July 12, 2024.
Enhance profile & credibility: Securing an award or being shortlisted acts as a powerful endorsement, signaling trustworthiness to potential customers and helping to distinguish your business from competitors. Displaying the award on your communications can significantly boost your brand’s perception.
Insightful focus & feedback: The application process encourages deep reflection on your business strategy and direction, offering invaluable feedback and clarity, even for new ventures.
Team confidence boost: Recognition from the awards can significantly uplift your team’s morale, affirming the value and potential of your business in the eyes of industry experts.
Marketing & PR boost: Being associated with the awards, even as a nominee, can enhance brand visibility, providing ample content opportunities for social media and other marketing channels.
Networking opportunities: The awards connect you with local business leaders and experts, offering a platform to seek advice, share ideas, and foster future partnerships. The ceremony itself is an excellent occasion for networking with peers and celebrating mutual successes.
Potential to win: Entering offers a chance to win and gain all the associated benefits, but even without taking home a trophy, the process can yield significant advantages for your business.
A Lady Gaga loving kitten owned by a couple who run a charity for disabled pets featured on Channel 5’s The Pet Psychic.
Pet Psychic Beth Lee-Crowther comes to the aid of pet owners and in Tuesday night’s episode she met Cookie the kitten, a depressed camel, and looked at whether a dog can predict the future.
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