A massive investment into the future of Spalding was backed this week.
The Town Board proposal for Pride in Place was rubber stamped by South Holland District Council’s cabinet, and it’s now full steam ahead.
And the town also looks to be in line for its own council under proposals tied-in with the reorganisation of local government.
The new town council would follow a Community Governance Review which was on the agenda at a full meeting of the district council last night (26). The town is currently unparished and the review recommended in light of the loss of one tier of local government to create a unitary authority.
Top of the list of spending priorities for the Spalding Town Board is to tackle town centre anti social behaviour along with street drinking and to encourage footfall.
Board chairman Robin Hancox said it had been working hard on engagement over the previous 18 months.
“There has been a lot of work going on with schools and canvassing young people,” said Mr Hancox.
“We have had tremendous engagement and it demonstrates how keen everyone is.”
Monday saw the inaugural youth council meeting for South Holland with the aim of involving young people in future developments and plans.
South Holland District Council leader Nick Worth, speaking ahead of the Cabinet meeting, said it was important that the demographic was involved in all aspects.
He also said the Town Board’s consultation for the £20m spend over a ten year period had seen a good response.
“There have been consistent themes and we have started working on them,” he said.
Anti-social behaviour and street drinking in the town centre was a topic consistently highlighted by consultees.
Coun Worth said using additional street rangers was part of the strategy and the Town Board had plans to help resolve the problem which dissuades from going into the town centre.
“We will be looking at all options and I think the main thing is a visible presence and people feeling comfortable in the town,” he said.
The plan will now be submitted to the government and is one of 75 in the first phase of the Pride in Place programme.
The Board hopes to hear the result of the submission in early February and the first tranche of funding should be in place for April 1.
While recognising the town’s market was a ‘challenge’, Coun Worth said the board was determined to work with others to bring in the footfall a thriving market is based on. He said they were considering the possibility of permanent market stalls which could be used by different traders on different days.
The Board is also aiming to work with new businesses coming into the town centre.
“We want to make a noticeable difference in terms of empty shops. We can help by offering things like a reduction in business rates for the first couple of years,” he added.
There are plans to forge stronger links between events at Ayscoughfee and the town centre so visitors are encouraged into the heart of the town.
And the South Holland Centre was also highlighted as needing intervention to widen uses and ensure it was accessible for a variety of events and occasions.
Under the banner of ‘Love Spalding’, the package of improvements will come alongside work undertaken by the Business Improvement District (BID) team which receives a levy from town centre businesses.
