Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue have seven new Technical Rescue Vehicles – vans that carry specialist equipment for incidents like water rescue and animal rescue.

Property owners in Gainsborough are celebrating the restoration of important buildings thanks to the ‘invaluable’ funding that made the work possible. The restoration work has been supported by West Lindsey District Council’s Townscape Heritage Initiative Scheme to preserve the architectural heritage of the town, including listed Georgian buildings, and to revitalise the community. The THI funding is backed by National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Levelling Up Fund. One of the premises benefitting from funding is 37 Lord Street, familiar to most now as Café Latte. The Grade II listed building dates back to the early 19th century and is owned by Justin Leckie. Justin has been working with architect Eleanor McEvedy, who has previously worked on 27-29 Lord Street under the THI scheme. Justin said: “The support received from West Lindsey District Council has allowed Café Latte, to return to its former glory and bring the building back to its best. The generous THI grant has allowed us to replace the outdated shop front with one which is much more in keeping with the listed Georgian property. In addition, work has taken place on the upper floor windows, the cast iron and lead water gutters as well as on repairing the brickwork on the gable end. “Without the support of the Council I would not have been able to protect the heritage of the building or play a role in helping to stimulate the regeneration of the street as a whole.” The schedule of works is expected to last eight weeks, with the final element – the fitting of a traditional canvas awning – due later this month. The funding offers substantial grant aid towards the costs of renovating buildings, in a bid to bring empty properties back into use and maximising the potential for them to be used today. 3 Lord Street (now the Clock House) is also benefitting from the scheme. The building had been a school room in 1845, with the joiner Tom Lambert having a shop there at a similar time. Owner Sunil Bejugam who also owns properties along 1-5 Lord Street said the THI funding had proved ‘invaluable’. “As a property investor in Gainsborough, my journey with 1, 3, 5 Lord Street has been a transformative one, made possible through the invaluable support of the Townscape Heritage Grant offered by West Lindsey District Council. “The grant served as a beacon of hope, enabling me to envision and execute a comprehensive external renovation plan for the properties. The project included fundamental upgrades such as replacing outdated windows with elegant sash windows, refreshing the roof tiles, restoring two iconic chimneys, updating entrance doors, and enhancing business signage.”

North Lincolnshire Council has teamed up with WalkSafe to help people feel even more safe and secure whilst walking in the town centre at night. The WalkSafe North Lincolnshire app is free to download and allows users to select safer walking routes and be monitored by family and friends. It also includes a map of Scunthorpe town centre showing all the locations where help is available. These include the new SOS stations which have CCTV and connect directly to the emergency services, Ask Angela venues where staff are trained to offer help and premises that have signed up to the council’s Safer Nights charter. the arrival of WalkSafe comes after the launch of the Safer Nights NL charter, which brings together owners and workers in the night-time economy with a host of initiatives and projects to enable people to feel safer when using local pubs, clubs, eateries and taxis. WalkSafe North Lincolnshire was launched at the Baths Hall by app founder Emma Kay with more than 40 representatives from the local night-time economy and the North Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership, which has funded and is backing the scheme. Cllr John Davison said: “This is part of our commitment to keeping people safe when out in the town and increasing confidence for everyone enjoying our busy night-time economy. “We understand that people, especially women, may feel vulnerable when out at night and this amazing app gives them peace of mind. “It is also shows just how many businesses and organisations are on board with our Safer Nights charter, which is dedicated to keeping people safe and well while they enjoy themselves.” Chief Superintendent Paul French of Humberside Police said: “Humberside Police are absolutely committed to working with our communities and our partners to ensure everyone can have a safe and enjoyable experience when out and around North Lincolnshire.” The Safer Night NL campaign will soon be extended to rural locations across the area, starting with Brigg, where a Pubwatch scheme is being set up. North Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership includes North Lincolnshire Council, Humberside Police, Humberside Fire and Rescue, Ongo, the National Probation Service, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB (Integrated Care Board) and the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Jon Evison.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reinvigorate Grantham town centre with £4.19 million from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund is about to get under way. The money, secured through a bid by South Kesteven District Council, will transform the Market Place and the Conduit, where refurbished public toilets will be reopened. A second phase will improve the town approach from the railway station to create a pedestrian-led environment. The Future High Streets Fund is for designated work and can only be used on this project. The plans were drawn up with input from Grantham residents, alongside businesses and strategic stakeholders, who were asked to list priorities for the town. Key partners include SKDC councillors and officers, the University of Lincoln, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, the National Trust, St Wulfram’s Church, Grantham College, Grantham Business Club, Grantham Museum, the Woodland Trust and local landowners. The project will raise the road height of the Market Place to create a single level open space, able to host a regular programme of town centre events. At other times it will be a central open space in a pedestrian-led area with fewer cars. Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Economic Development, Cllr Ashley Baxter said: “This exciting project is intended to make the town centre an even better place for people to live in, work and visit. We are creating a formal ‘heart’ of Grantham; a traffic-calmed public open space to provide a focus for events and a town centre oasis for visitors to enjoy.” The work will re-establish a gathering point for residents and visitors, providing an attractive and vibrant place where more people spend more time enjoying the town centre. The SKDC vision will bring a busy Market Place that appeals to the people of Grantham and further afield, fuelled by a new a sense of civic pride. The Market Place improvements will link through to a rebuilt pedestrian route from the Grantham Railway Station, with clear walkways across the five-road junction to Westgate as a more effective connection to the town centre. Recent support work has taken place in the cultural quarter of the Arts Centre, Guildhall and cinema near St Peter’s Hill, with the blue-green corridor of the River Witham nearby. The heritage quarter around St Wulfram’s Church links to the historic environment through Westgate with its 18th and 19th Century buildings. This follows an earlier announcement that several roads in the area are due to be reconstructed before the end of the year, with a promise that disruption will be kept to a minimum through efficient project planning and using the least disruptive traffic management measures. The current timetable is as follows:

• Market Place Construction – Start Date: 15^th April 2024; End Date: August 2024
• Station Approach Construction – Start Date: 1^st November 2024; End Date: March 2025

Vehicles look set to be banned from a country lane as South Kesteven District Council moves to halt people tipping rubbish in the vicinity. Cabinet is being asked to approve a new Public Spaces Protection Order to prevent access to the old A17 Pottergate Road, Fulbeck, except to authorised vehicles. Requests for action have been received from local landowners and other organisations including Lincolnshire County Council and the National Farmers Union, following frequent fly-tipping. It follows a Vulnerable Land Panel meeting under the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership, where key partners including LCC, Lincolnshire Police, local authorities and the NFU considered all options – with a PSPO being the chosen course of action. Cabinet Member for People and Communities, Cllr Rhea Rayside, said: “This is a vulnerable location for fly tipping on the public road and private land next to it. “Heaps of rubbish left there are the responsibility of the Council to clear away, and it costs the taxpayer every time this happens. Rubbish dumped on private land can unfairly cost farmers thousands of pounds to clear, as it then becomes the landowner’s responsibility. “Warning signs have been put up to prevent fly tipping. However, continued incidents are reported yet due to the nature of dumped items, we have not been able to secure the evidence needed to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.” In June 2020, Pottergate Road and some surrounding land in both South Kesteven and North Kesteven saw several large-scale fly tips consisting of part-processed waste. The heap left at Pottergate Road weighed approximately 40 tonnes. The proposed Order would include the installation of a gate by Lincolnshire County Council at the north entrance to the old A17 to prevent unauthorised vehicles accessing the restricted area. The south entrance is already inaccessible to vehicle users. Authorised vehicles would need to obtain access details by contacting the Council. A four-week public consultation was undertaken from 11 December 2023 to 8 January 2024, which found that 80% said that they agree or strongly agree with the proposed Order. Seventy per cent of respondents said they had experienced or were concerned by vehicle access, anti-social behaviour or fly tipping at the location. One respondent stated: “The fly tipping is unbearable, the cost to the adjoining landowners in terms of financial cost, environmental damage and blocked access is unsustainable.” Public Spaces Protection Orders are powers given to local authorities as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. Designed to target a particular nuisance in a specific area that is having a detrimental effect on the quality of life for those in the local community, PSPOs work by prohibiting certain things or requiring that specific things should be done, in law. Failure to comply with a PSPO can result in a fine.   Image courtesy of South Kesteven District Council