Gina works on road to her future with construction project
A University of Lincoln construction student is gaining career inspiration thanks to hands-on work experience with Lindum at the Western Growth Corridor in Lincoln.
Gina Smith, 20, is honing her site surveying skills as building company Lindum creates the first road access to the development from Skellingthorpe Road.
She was offered the six-week summer placement after completing a real project brief set by Lindum through the university’s Employer Projects scheme, which gives students valuable experience and career insights.
Gina, studying for a BSc construction science and management, said: “I’ve been on site at the Western Growth Corridor from week one. The best thing about it is it’s practical – I’m not an office girl.
“One of my course modules, land surveying and engineering, was 80 per cent coursework, so to come here and apply that knowledge is a huge bonus.”
The former Lincoln UTC triple engineering student added: “What I want to do as a career is to be a construction manager but with engineering knowledge and experience because that will make it easier for me. I don’t want to be managing something I know nothing about.”
Her three days a week learning at WGC has included ‘setting out’ activities, in which plans are transferred onto the land for construction workers to follow, as well as mapping underground utilities pipes and cables.
Gina also does one day a week work experience at the £8.6m Campus for Future Living health and education facility in Mablethorpe, which Lindum is building for East Lindsey District Council.
Gina, who works part-time at a Lincoln engineering firm making components for turbines in addition to her studies, thanked the university and Lindum for helping inspire her future.
“If I had not gone through the university’s Employer Projects scheme I would not have known where to start,” she said. “Lindum has given me a great opportunity – the company is passionate about an inclusive construction industry and promoting students and young people in engineering.”
Award winning insurance broker Clear commits to local business community with new Spalding office move
Award-winning independent broking group Clear is investing in Spalding and the surrounding area by moving into a new and larger office on Enterprise Way.
The business has been located in Spalding for nearly 10 years, having moved from Holbeach, and the new office move reflects Clear’s commitment to the local business community.
The new office will initially employ 12 staff although the business is recruiting locally. Clear Group is a leading chartered insurance broker, which provides a range of business insurance. The business in Spalding supports many local firms with their insurance needs from farmers to hauliers across a broad range of industries.Ryan Hounsell, branch director for the new Clear Group office in Spalding, said: “We are delighted to be growing our presence in Spalding by moving to a new and larger office at Four Seasons House, at a time when the group is also investing in technology and staff.
“We have had a presence in South Lincolnshire and the surrounding area for many years, helping local businesses with their insurance needs, and looking forward are well positioned to continue to support our customers locally and beyond.”
Green Energy company launches consultation on A46 energy park
Today Fosse Green Energy has launched a public consultation on its plans for a green energy park south of Hykeham near Lincoln.
The consultation will remain open until early October, and is seeking views on the plans for a solar panel and battery storage facility capable of supporting 110,000 households.
Fosse Green Energy is a JV company set up between Windel Energy and Recurrent Energy, and is planning the facility on land about five miles south-west of Lincoln in North Kesteven. It spans the A46 Fosse Way.
It will be made up of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and battery energy storage areas. The solar park will be connected by underground cable to the grid via a substation, for which National Grid is in the process of exploring locations. The company is currently considering two options for the grid connection corridor, one north of Wellingore, the other between Coleby and Boothby Graffoe. One will be selected as part of a Development Consent Order application which will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination.
Heritage skills fair opens a week of workshops in Gainsborough
West Lindsey District Council will be holding a Heritage Skills Fair in Gainsborough, followed by a week of workshops and illustrated talks.
The Heritage Skills Fair will be in Gainsborough’s Market Place, alongside the traditional Saturday market and stretching down to the grounds of Gainsborough Old Hall.
Residents and visitors will be given the opportunity to see skilled craftsmen showcasing the rare traditional crafts that are thriving in our region, for FREE. Demonstrations will fill the space including traditional skills such as blacksmithing, woodturning, leatherwork, pottery and frame-making, as well as building restoration skills such as antique wall-paper conservation, working with lime-mortar and sash window repair.
Townscape Heritage Activity Co-ordinator and organiser of the Festival, Theresa Workman said: “There is something here for everyone, whether you are looking for nostalgia, practical skills, tips on restoration, an original hobby, or something beautiful to buy. You may even happen upon your dream career.”
Following the Fair, from Monday 18 to Saturday 23 September 2023, the festival will continue with a series of FREE workshops and illustrated talks, including a stained glass Workshop, leatherwork tasters, Georgian dance classes and more!
Cllr Paul Howitt-Cowan, member champion for heritage and leisure at the Council said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our local traditional trades and craftsmen and women to be able to showcase their work and encourage people to participate and learn how to carry out these heritage trades. We encourage local residents and visitors to book on to the workshops and illustrated talks throughout the Festival”.
The festival continues throughout the following week with bookable workshops for adults to learn a heritage skill.
Gainsborough is hosting the Heritage Skills Festival as part of the National Lottery funded Townscape Heritage Initiative which is underway to restore Gainsborough’s historic shops.
Council decides to make biodiversity a feature of all of its work
A wide-reaching plan to weave biodiversity into every aspect of the council’s remit across North Lincolnshire has been agreed.
It will mean every council decision will include how best to conserve and enhance the natural habitat – for example sowing wildflower seeds when verges have been dug up.
Other possibilities include installing nest boxes for birds and bats on public buildings and council-owned land and reducing the use of chemicals.
The details have been laid out in a recent cabinet report, which details the council’s commitment to Government requirements regarding biodiversity.
Cllr Christine Patterson, cabinet support for environment, said: “Our existing A Green Future strategy means we already take the environment into consideration in everything we do.
“This recent report underlies that commitment in every way and ensures this commitment to protecting and enhancing the environment is aligned to job creation – it must not be at the expense of living standards but part of improving them.
“Increasing biodiversity is vital to help preserve the environment for generations to come – and ensuring that every decision we make has this consideration is essential.
“It will increase the number of plants and wildlife in the region as well as creating more and better habitats, enabling nature to recover and thrive and supports new projects and importantly jobs.”
The Government requires councils to consider all aspects of biodiversity and publish a report by January 2026 including policies and objectives to promote nature’s recovery.
The council has developed a range of urban wildlife habitats, including the largest roadside wildflower meadow in the UK along Mortal Ash Hill. More than 100,000 trees have also been planted as part of the Northern Forest scheme.
Contractors start on new Scunthorpe health centre next week
Contractors will make a start on site next week to build a new health facility next to The Parishes shopping Centre in Scunthorpe.
It’s a community diagnostic centre, one of many opening nationally as ‘one-stop shops’ for tests, checks and scans.
The new facility will create capacity for an additional 146,000 appointments a year for patients to get X-rays, MRI, ultrasound, and CT scans, and it’s expected to be open next summer.
Patients will be referred to the centre by their GP or consultant, and it will operate in parallel to existing diagnostic departments at Scunthorpe General Hospital for inpatients and those requiring urgent care.
New health centre gets the green light in Scunthorpe
A new community diagnostic centre set to be built in Scunthorpe town centre has been given planning permission.
Work will start on site of the new health centre – one of many opening nationally as ‘one-stop shops’ for tests, checks and scans – on Monday, 18 September.
The new facility will create capacity for an additional 146,000 appointments a year for residents to get X-rays, MRI, ultrasound, and CT scans and is expected to be open next summer.
It will be built on land next to the Parishes multi-storey car park in Scunthorpe town centre – giving patients access to free two hours parking immediately next to the site.
Patients will be referred to the centre by their GP or consultant, and it will operate in parallel to existing diagnostic departments at Scunthorpe General Hospital for inpatients and those requiring urgent care.
Contractors will be on site from Monday, 18 September with an area of the ground-level outdoor car parking being used.
The multi-storey will remain open as normal, though access to and from it will be from Cole Street only with the Lindum Street entrance closed.
Disabled parking bays will be available inside the multi-storey, with additional bays being added through the duration of the works.
Temporary Stop Notice issued for RAF Scampton
West Lindsey District Council has served a Temporary Stop Notice to prevent the Home Office from continuing with development work at RAF Scampton.
The Temporary Stop Notice pursuant to section171E of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), was issued at 7am this morning (8 September 2023).
The council considers that there has been a breach of planning control relating specifically to the Listed Buildings and archaeology on the site. The alleged breaches include the installation of permanent palisade fencing, intrusive surveying works, groundworks, and connections to utilities, having the potential to cause irreversible damage to important heritage assets.
The Temporary Stop Notice requires the Home Office and all associated contractors to cease all works in respect of the Listed Buildings, all intrusive surveying works, ground works and the installation of fencing on the site.
The notice was displayed on site from 7am this morning (8 September 2023) and takes immediate effect for 28 days unless withdrawn earlier. It is an offence under section 171G of the Town and Country Planning Act to contravene a Temporary Stop Notice.
Sally Grindrod-Smith, Director of Planning, Regeneration and Communities at West Lindsey District Council, said: “The council is the relevant Local Planning Authority for the site. We are aware that there are works ongoing on site.
“However, despite repeated requests and service of a Planning Contravention Notice, we have not been provided with any details of: schedules of works; method statements; site plans/work phasing plans; details of materials; detailed summary/summaries and schedule/s of all surveys being undertaken on the site; or a marked-up site plan to show the locations of surveys having already been undertaken and those proposed.
“Additionally, the council has not been approached to determine whether Listed Building Consent is required for works currently being undertaken on the site. The council is concerned about the future of the significant and important heritage on site at RAF Scampton and the Home Office has not provided the necessary information or reassurances.
“Unfortunately, we have been left with no alternative but to issue a Temporary Stop Notice. This means that development work should halt on site with immediate effect until we are furnished with details of the proposed works and can determine whether additional planning consents are required. The council has also served a further Planning Contravention Notice seeking the relevant information.”
The notice will cease to have effect on 5 October 2023. The council is urging the Home Office and its contractors to comply with the Temporary Stop Notice as required by law and engage with the Local Planning Authority so that an appropriate assessment of the planned development may be undertaken.
Scunthorpe’s new park is named after our late Queen
A new park and gardens in Scunthorpe’s Church Square have been officially renamed the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Gardens.
The renaming took place on the first anniversary of the Queen’s death, with a plaque marking the new name and commissioning a sculpture to be installed at a later date and an artist is set to be appointed to depict a mural in the recently refurbished park.
Council leader Rob Waltham said: “This is a lasting tribute to the late queen’s exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication to her people. It is fitting that it is happening in one of the area’s newest developments, the tranquil setting of the urban park, showing that while we respect the past we are also looking forward to a bright future.
“I hope everyone who comes to the Queen Elizabeth Gardens, whether to enjoy one of the many events taking place here, to visit 20-21 Visual Arts Centre or just for a relaxing stroll takes a moment of quiet contemplation and gratitude for the late queen’s unwavering service.”
The newly christened Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Scunthorpe was built following a £1m investment from the Government as part of the Towns Fund.
The ambitious transformation is benefitting visitors to 20-21 Visual Arts Centre and Scunthorpe Central, as well as students who attend the UTC.
It is part of the £3.6bn Towns Fund initiative, and is additional to the £10m funding boost to redevelop the former market site as part of the Future High Streets fund.
Grantham fire station revamp remembers former firefighter
A programme of refurbishment work has been completed at Grantham fire station, along with the addition of a new training facility in the grounds.
A £1.3m investment from Lincolnshire County Council has seen the modernisation of the fire station on Harlaxton Road with a new training complex and Breathing Apparatus workshop.
The training complex has been opened and named in memory of former Crew Manager at Grantham, Pete Scarlett, who died unexpectedly in July 2020.
Cllr Lindsey Cawrey, executive councillor for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “We continue to invest in the safety and wellbeing of our firefighters, who respond to emergencies and keep our communities safe.
“On top of new equipment and vehicles, we have a programme of works at our fire stations to ensure firefighters have the best facilities for training and personal development.
“The new training facilities will ensure realistic scenarios for the crews who are based here to practice in, and also ensure that a well-respected former colleague will not be forgotten.”
Chief Fire Officer for Lincolnshire, Mark Baxter, said: “The fire station at Grantham is home to both On Call and wholetime firefighters – who all train to the same high standards.
“Better facilities within the station and more extensive training buildings will help them in all aspects of this varied job.”
