East Lindsey District Council

East Lindsey District Council were consulted regarding Lincolnshire County Council’s Active Travel Fund plans to trial up to 18 months of town centre changes in Louth to encourage more walking and cycling.

After receiving positive feedback on the temporary closure of the Cornmarket, which enabled businesses to create outdoor seating in response to the pandemic in Spring/Summer 2021, we supported the proposed pilot initiative.

We appreciated the scheme was temporary and experimental to allow for changes in response to local feedback.

In response to feedback from our Members, businesses and residents, we are calling for an urgent review of the issues associated with the Mercer Row scheme.

There are concerns about the detrimental impact this is having on Louth’s reputation as an accessible and bustling market town, as well as the management and communication of the initiative.

We urge Lincolnshire County Council to focus its resource, in the remaining trial period, to develop the Cornmarket area, allowing more improvements to the street furniture and to make better use of the space to benefit both residents and visitors.

It is right that Councils should explore new initiatives and opportunities, but they should also listen, be pragmatic, and amend plans when it is clear that a change of direction is required.

East Lindsey District Council remain committed to actively ensuring the vitality of our town centres and are dedicated to listening and acting on business and residents’ suggestions and feedback to create improvements that are well supported.

We fully appreciate it is a particularly challenging time for businesses and we are pleased to announce, through our partnership with Destination Lincolnshire, we are providing a bespoke support scheme to businesses within Louth Town Centre, with packages worth up to £1,000. Businesses can contact [email protected] for more information.

We continue to build on the town’s exemplary food and drink offer with plans for events, trails and promotion, which will be guided by hospitality businesses. And, a new www.lovelouth.com will be launched for businesses to take advantage of free listings and promotional opportunities.

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Environmental Crime enforcement officers will soon be taking to the streets in East Lindsey.

The team will be walking around the district’s tourist centres, towns and villages in a bid to enforce and educate people on such things as deliberately dropping litter and those who fail to pick up after their dog or fail to be able to provide the means to pick up after their dog.

The officers will begin patrolling areas of East Lindsey later this month and will be issuing £150 fixed penalty notices to those who are caught breaking the rules.

Anyone who does not discharge their liability by paying the fine will face prosecution in court.

As well as dog fouling and litter, the team have also been given the powers to deal with other environmental crime such as fly-tipping and graffiti.

Some of their work will be carried out using information passed to us by members of the public and local councillors.

It is hoped that the environmental crime enforcement officers will deter irresponsible behaviour and encourage people to dispose of their rubbish more responsibly and keep East Lindsey at its best for residents and visitors.

Councillor Martin Foster, Portfolio Holder for Operational Services at East Lindsey District Council said: “Littering and dog fouling are two of the most regular complaints we receive and people have had enough of these deliberate acts which are carried out with no thought for other people.

“It is down to us all to care for where we live and to help make our communities the best they can be.

“Bringing more enforcement to East Lindsey will help tackle these problems which blight communities and the officers will do everything in their power to educate people, stop these deliberate acts and help make the streets of East Lindsey much cleaner.”