South Kesteven District spend £1.6m on Grantham Regeneration

It should be good news that Grantham Market Place has received £1.6m for regeneration, but a number of aspects of this project are concerning.

Firstly, there seems to be a lack of appreciation that the impact of the loss of free local parking will have on local businesses in the area longer term.

In the short term, the Market Place, and Westgate have made Grantham a ghost town in parts as shoppers go elsewhere.

I spent several years living in South London. I shopped and worked through the entire redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre Croydon. At no time was any business left cut off from the rest of the shopping centre. The work was carefully phased for minimum impact. In sharp contrast the work on the Market Square has been donein one phase with significant impact on pedestrians and businesses. Pedestrians are forced to walk around the perimeter of the market square and parts of this are semi blocked with street furniture including lamp posts.

When the work first started there were significant traffic jams throughout the town.
It was the thoughful intervention by PC Wright who came up with a scheme preventing people parking on Guildhall St and providing Disabled Parking in Westgate which saved the day.

It was also concerning to hear that contractors working on the site have been finding some historic treasures. Not surprising given they are digging down to original cobblestones in a medieval square.
What has happened to these artefacts?

A discussion with Cllr Bruce Wells (Lab) Harrowby Ward, raised the need for assurance that the new surface will still be able to take the weight of the traditional Fayre vehicles and rides.

My last point is probably the most important. The Council were given £5m under Labour to deliver improvements to Grantham town centre. They still have not spent all the money on the town despite the obvious need for investment. In the meanwhile, whilst the Council newsletter SK Today's front page (Summer 2011) lauded the expenditure of £1.6m on the Market Place, the Council seemed to almost be trying to hide the Bourne Core Area Project which is to have £2.35m spent on it starting this autum.

Details of the Bourne project are listed in the SK Today - Business Pull Out Special. With the Special carrying the headline Good for Business at least they had the grace, under the circumstances, not to include the Grantham Market development in the pullout.