Central Market’s refurbishment ‘has dragged it into the modern world’

LOCALS SAY REVAMP IS AN IMPROVEMENT

A LINCOLN local says the newlyrefurbished Cornhill Market has “dragged it into the modern world.”

Formerly the traditional Lincoln Central Market, with stalls ranging from a butcher to a stall selling all sorts of wools, the Cornhill Market in Sincil Street will open in early 2024 with a new look, layout, and traders.

The works have taken more than a year to complete with the City of Lincoln Council hoping it will create a “perfect blend of traditional city marketplace with a high-quality food hall.”

Shoppers and locals wandering past the new market were glancing curiously at it, with some people even taking a peek inside.

Chris and Shirley Kaberry, 74 and 72, from Lincoln, were one of those taking a peek in the windows when we spoke to them. Mr Kaberry said: “Before the refurbishment, the market served a purpose for the 1950s and 1960s and was out of date.

“The refurbishment has dragged it into the modern world.”

Despite this, Mr Kaberry said he misses the butcher which was previously in the market, David Jenkins Meats.

Mrs Kaberry said: “It seems to be the way things are going, people get out and socialise more. I think we have missed the market because we used to go in there.

“I think it’s sad we don’t have a local market anymore. I genuinely do miss the market but it must be a generational thing.”

Babs Thomson, 58, from Sleaford, said: “It needed a good old makeover.

“As long as it’s got nice stuff in there it will bring people in.”

Gary Evans, 41, who was tucking into some chips in the Cornhill, said: “I have not been in the market since I was a kid.

“We miss the market, it’s always nice to see and I think it’s a positive that it’s been refurbished as long as you get the right mix of stands.”

Chris Over, 38, a said: “Before it was the same old bric-a-brac. I think the refurbishment is good, it will bring more people into Lincoln.”

However, Brian Booth, 75, from Lincoln, reflected on the market before the refurbishment and said: “I liked it before and hope it will be similar to how it was before but it does look a lot better.”

Maxine Lamming, 59, said: “It was the open market in the 1960s but I know we have to move with the times and something needed improving.”

Trader announcements will be released in the coming weeks in the lead-up to Christmas.

A CONTROVERSIAL planning application for a caravan park north of Boston has been put on ice after concerns were expressed by the local community. The application by vegetable farmers in Benington to provide accommodation and sports facilities to house migrant workers was featured last week in local media. A popular local outlet questioned the need for migrant labourers to grow fruit and vegetables and suggested that local people were ‘workshy’ and unwilling to engage in hard work. TH Clements and Son Ltd, Benington had applied to change the use of some of their land in West End Road. They wanted to install 60 caravans which local media had described as ‘luxury caravans’. In addition, TH Clements proposed to create a minibus parking area, to extend an existing workshop and create an indoor staff communal area. There was also the suggestion of constructing a sports field or an outdoor leisure space. Benington Parish Council discussed the planning application in detail at an open meeting with 15 members of the public. Councillors said they understood that TH Clements wanted to provide facilities to support a stable, reliable workforce, but they expressed strong concerns about the location of the proposed housing. The parish council said that local residents had already become very concerned at the volume and types of traffic using West End Road, the proposed access to the site, and that with prosperous business this would be likely to increase. Estimating that three to five people might move into each caravan at peak season, councillors raised concerns that an 180-300 residents would exacerbate the problem with the roads. A spokesperson for the council wrote: “Staff living on-site would minimise traffic at the start and end of each shift, but inevitably, these members of staff are going to need to leave the site at some point to shop/ socialise/ remove themselves from the work environment. “There is provision within the application for mini bus parking, presumably to transport staff offsite daily, which in turn will increase the traffic on West End Road in the long term. “Should any of these people need to use public transport, West End Road in its current condition is unsafe for pedestrians especially with the amount of industrial traffic using that route.” The councillors were also concerned that there is no footpath along the main road which has a 60mph speed limit and workers were likely to want to reach Boston or Skegness for entertainment and provisions. Benington has very few amenities to entertain a young workforce and councillors wanted the applicants to provide a shop, dining facilities, a laundrette and fast internet so they could remain in communication with their families. “We do note that there will be a communal space and an outside recreation area, but this will most likely not be enough especially during the winter months.” Last Thursday, November 30, Boston Borough Council received an email withdrawing the application.