Final arrangements are being made ahead of works to make Sleaford Market Place an improved space to hold markets, events and public activities.
Ahead of the scheme, details on the work schedule are being shared with stakeholders and nearby businesses. Advance signage will also be installed to forewarn of the closure of the Market Place as a car park from July 19, followed by further signs to say that the businesses around the Market Place are open as usual, to give information on alternative car parks and direct people to the temporary location of the market and Farmer’s Market at Eastgate Car Park.
Some final onsite checks will then take place before the groundworks begin at the end of July, running through to an expected completion in mid-December.
The project will see the Market Place repaved with sandstone setts to lighten up the space and better reflect the surrounding buildings and features. Two raised planters will provide greenery and shade, along with three hardwood benches within the design of the planters and a further seven hardwood benches around its perimeter.
The war memorial will benefit from up-lighting and the bollards which protect it will be retained, while resin-bound gravel will highlight the area around it. The old hut will be removed, with the parking attendants who used it relocating to the North Kesteven District Council offices. New lighting under the trees and an information board will also be installed, plus five new cycle hoops.
Time-limited Blue Badge Holder parking will be available on the Market Place three days a week when it reopens, in addition to arranged access for church events and services in agreement with the church wardens.
Market traders will also benefit from an enhanced environment that, being free of moving vehicles on market days, will give customers more confidence in moving around it safely. It also allows more space for additional potential stallholders, along with better visibility for those existing traders. Operation of the market continues to sit with Sleaford Town Council, who will be able to provide and promote a market that meets the aspirations of residents.
North Kesteven District Council Chief Executive Ian Fytche said: “We’re committed to ensuring that the scheme supports the continued success of the town centre; by enhancing the Market Place as a space where people can freely move through its historic setting and shop without the current conflict between pedestrians and lots of moving cars, where the markets can trade more visibly as a key feature of Sleaford, and where community events can take place more readily and in enhanced surroundings.
“In readiness for the works to start, we are sharing more information on its phasing with individual stakeholders including the ways we’re working together with our contractor to keep disruption to a minimum. This includes maintaining pedestrian access to shops and businesses as much as possible throughout the works, and ensuring access is maintained to St Denys’ Church.”
Civil engineering and construction company Smith Construction is appointed as the contractor to carry out the works. It is a local business founded in 1979 as a family building firm and headquartered in Heckington, and prides itself on its high standard of work. Much of its staff are also local to the area.
Hoarding will be put up facing Eastgate and around the main rectangle of Market Place, with pedestrian access to the surrounding shops, businesses and St Denys’ Church kept via the footpaths which will be left accessible. It is hoped there could be an event for young people whereby the hoarding is decorated.
The exception to this is limited periods where work needs to take place directly outside a premises. These works are planned where possible around their opening times and they also won’t take long to complete, for the most part limiting access for only a day or so during those closed hours. To limit noise or other impact during the Remembrance weekend, no works will take place during any events on 10 and 11 November.
The al fresco seating next to Sessions House will need to be packed away while repaving takes place there from early August until mid-September. It’s hoped the hoarding there can then be removed, while the bulk of the works continue in the main rectangle of the Market Place.
The temporary relocation of the market to Eastgate Car Park is for the duration of the works only. While the Market Place is owned by the District Council, the market itself is operated by the Town Council under a licence agreement, which is subject to ongoing renewal discussions.
Mr Fytche added: “The temporary relocation of the market is a necessary step during the works, and ultimately we hope that everyone will continue to show their support by visiting it in its temporary location there. Mindful of the historic integrity of the market to Sleaford, we continue working with the Town Council to ensure its ongoing success and hoped-for growth, where we anticipate it being more visible and vibrant in the refreshed Market Place.”
The project is being delivered using the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Image courtesy of North Kesteven District Council
