Lindongate moves forward
Manchester based developers Modus have lodged the long awaited planning application for the Lindongate Shopping Centre which promises to bring 350,000ft2 of new retail space to the City including a department store and an additional 39 shop units. Of particular interest to local people is the provision of a new bus station in St Mary’s Street linked to Lincoln Central railway station to create a
The development is also planned to include residential apartments, a 1, 000 space car park, restaurants and a hotel. Modus Director James Ridings said “Having worked hard with the public and stakeholders of the City Centre Master Plan over the past two years we are delighted to be submitting a planning application for this scheme. This puts the scheme on target for completion in late 2011 or early 2012 and will significantly improve retailing in Lincoln, as well as building on its great success as a leisure destination.”
Lincoln Chartered Surveyors Banks Long & Co have been appointed as joint letting agents with West End specialists Lunson Mitchenall. Peter Banks comments “there is a tremendous amount of retailer interest, despite current market concerns. Key lettings are moving to legals, conditional on planning, before final unit allocations can be agreed. This shows the depth of interest in Lincoln City Centre if current parking and access difficulties can be resolved, which this scheme will do.”
The planning application is currently in the consultation period but while Modus have received overwhelming support from interested bodies and the general public during their two consultation days at the Central Library, some traders have been worried about the impact the development might have on their businesses, while others who have seen illustrations of the proposed new street within the scheme have assumed that Sincil Street is to be totally cleared and the local established character lost.
Modus have now met the local traders to try to allay their fears. “It has always been a key element of our scheme that Sincil Street would be largely untouched with the older smaller retail units retained for occupation by independent and specialist traders” says James Ridings. Their businesses will be supported by the new shopping within the existing bus station area and by a larger car park and better bus station. The only demolition proposed is at the northern and southern ends of Sincil Street and by an extension of Cornhill to form a cross roads with Sincil Street, providing maximum integration with the new shopping. Modus are not interested in providing clone town shopping and we know from our experiences elsewhere that major national retailers like nothing more than to be close to vibrant small independent businesses.”
Asked for his view on the impact on local traders Peter Banks said “there will be some traders who are displaced but this scheme has been coming for 20 years and many of the affected traders are fully aware of the situation and are occupying on short leases with redevelopment clauses. Nevertheless we will be working hard with the developers to try and accommodate all of those who are affected either in the scheme or close by, but there does have to be some change if we want to offer a wider choice in the city centre and generate the value needed to get rid of the existing dreadful bus station”.
