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Proposals to refurbish Lincoln Central Market will be considered by City of Lincoln Council’s planning committee, in a move which could “re-invent” the area.

An application has been submitted for the refurbishment and extension of the central market building at City Square in Lincoln, and it will be discussed in a planning meeting on Wednesday, June 30.

Part of the proposals would see the partial demolition and construction of a new two-storey extension to the south of the building (at Butchers Corridor), accommodating a new commercial unit, planned to be a restaurant, with a roof terrace.

As well as this, City Square and Sincil Street would be re-paved and the roof on the existing market building would be replaced, while a centrally located food court will also be housed inside the revamped building.

Lincoln Central Market. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

New unisex and accessible public toilets would also be included in the development as part of the Butchers Corridor demolition, along with a baby changing facility and ancillary accommodation.

The news of proposed public toilets will be music to the ears of Fiona Purkiss, who hosted a one-woman protest calling on the council to save the public toilet at Westgate.

The plans will compliment other developments in the city, including the £70 million Cornhill Quarter project and the £30 million Transport Hub.

Historic England has welcomed the idea of regenerating the Grade II listed market building, describing the move as an “exciting strategic initiative for heritage led regeneration in Lincoln.”

If planning permission is received and business cases, which are currently under development, are approved, it is hoped that the works will start in early 2022.
Councillor Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council, said: “By restoring the Grade II Lincoln Central Market and City Square, we will create a strong, sustainable market offer in Lincoln.“It is exciting to see how this area of the city has been redeveloped over the last few years, and the redevelopment of the Central Market would create an anchor destination within the Cornhill Quarter.”

Jo Walker, Assistant Director for Growth at City of Lincoln Council, added: “We have now been offered £19 million from the government’s Town Deal Fund to deliver a range of projects across the city. Lincoln Central Market is one of the projects identified within this programme for funding, subject to a full business case being approved.”

Boston and Lincoln have seen infection rates double over the past seven days, however, North East Lincolnshire still tops the Greater Lincolnshire table.

According to the latest data, in the seven days up to June 21, Boston saw its infection rate jump from 28.5 per 100,000 population to 62.7 with an extra 44 cases overall. Nationally it went from 249th highest to 163rd.

Meanwhile, Lincoln moved from the bottom of the Lincolnshire table and 315th nationally to third and 220th respectively. A further 48 cases in the city saw its infection rate jump from 25.5 to 62.7.

North East Lincolnshire, which has sat at the top for the past two years saw an additional 200 cases over seven days, increasing its national ranking from 89th to 57th.

Lincolnshire County Council’s deputy director of public health said rates across Lincolnshire were rising and had been for a couple of weeks.

“It makes sense, that’s where there’s the highest proportion of younger people who are going to be less vaccinated, living in urban areas with a denser population which is easier to make contact and a higher risk of transmission,” he said.

Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from June 7 to June 21. | Data: Gov UK / Table: Daniel Jaines for The Lincolnite

“So it’s as we would expect given the demographics in the areas, things are going up now, again, we’ve been predicting that for a while but it has really started to take effect now.

“Areas where there’s less people who are vaccinated, its rising slightly faster, which just reinforces that vaccines do work and the best way to protect yourself and those around you from COVID-19, is to get jabs in and make sure you complete the course get double jabbed.”

Across Greater Lincolnshire the rise was reflected by all but one authority, with North Lincolnshire the only one to show a slight drop from 23.8 to 23.2 – but still confirming 40 positive cases. Nationally its ranking dropped from 280 to 331.

The Greater Lincolnshire average saw a 67% rise overall from 28.6 to 47.9

British contemporary artist and sculptor Dan Rawlings brought an oil truck to life for a powerful sculpture exhibition in Scunthorpe.

The Future Returns exhibition is currently at the 20-21 Visual Arts Centre on Church Square in Scunthorpe.

The event began on June 19 and will run until September 25, 2021. It is open Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm at the arts centre, which is housed in the former St John’s Church building.

The exhibition is described as Dan’s most ambitious artwork to date and is free to enter, but timed tickets must be booked online in advance here.

Artist Dan Rawlings said “the plants in the sculptures are an acknowledgement that heavy industry is the root of so much in our lives”. | Photo: Mark Bickerdike

The art installation has taken over the venue’s 19th-century church gallery space with the sculpture in the form of a reclaimed DAF oil tanker, which measures 10.54m in length, 3.6m in height, and is 2.59m wide.

It forms a commanding island, internally lit and surrounded by mounds of earth, oil barrels and dark mirror-like pools that reflect the church’s vaulted roof.

The steel body is transformed by Dan’s freehand drawing of intricate foliage motifs and brought to life using a plasma cutter.

The art installation has taken over the venue’s 19th-century church gallery space. | Photo: Mark Bickerdike

British contemporary artist and sculptor Dan Rawlings brought an oil truck to life. | Photo: Mark Bickerdike

The gallery is currently filled with 16 tons of earth to create an imagined, distant-future ‘truck in the wilderness’ landscape, creating a vision of a world where man’s impact is being slowly reclaimed by nature.

It is a specially commissioned show by 20-21 Visual Arts Centre celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The exhibition is described as Dan’s most ambitious artwork to date. | Photo: Mark Bickerdike

Dan was born in Essex and is a Stroud-based contemporary British sculptor. He was awarded a large-scale commission by London’s 2018 Moniker Art Fair, as well as having a permanent installation in the UNESCO Völklingen Ironworks, as part of the World Heritage Site’s 2019 Urban Art Biennale. His most recent solo show, at Galerie Openspace in Paris, also opened in 2019.

He said: “The plants in the sculptures are an acknowledgement that heavy industry is the root of so much in our lives. Most of what we know and rely on grows out of it, yet so much of it remains unseen.

“Despite their awe-inspiring scale, and the many lives dedicated to working in them, many people have never seen steelworks, factories or coal yards, and do not consider their existence – and yet our whole way of life stems from them. I like to bring people’s attention to that, to make visible that truth.

“The foliage also draws attention to nature’s resilience and ability to find a way to thrive. Whatever we take from nature, it always finds a way to take it back.”

The Future Returns exhibition will run until September 25, 2021. | Photo: Mark Bickerdike

Dominic Mason, Exhibitions Manager, 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, said: “This is 20-21’s biggest ever commission and we cannot wait to welcome visitors to this unique and thought-provoking exhibition. I knew when Dan Rawlings asked me if we could fit at least nine tons of soil into the main gallery space, that something very special was going to be created!

“We’re lucky to have the cathedral of space at 20-21 to be able to exhibit such large-scale installations of this nature and we are proud to exhibit this work as part of our 20th anniversary year in Scunthorpe.”