£4.1m investment breathes new life into Grantham's Market Place and Station Approach

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• carysview wrote:

  05/02/2024 15:07

  Grantham was awarded 5.56million in the future high streets fund in Dec 2020. Part of the conditions of the award of this fund was all work plans needed to be submitted before 16 Feb 2023 or its lost. Roll on 3 years and Sdkc come up with a plan to repave (albeit nicely) the market place area. Its almost as if someone remembered that the deadline was approaching and they had better come up with a plan , and repaving is an easy one. If I'm doing them a mis justice and that's not true .. they took 3 years to decide on a repaving idea ..wow.
  
  If you do a simple google search on reviews to improve Grantham town I've found (in 5 minutes) at least 2 paid external specialist company multi page documents on how to improve the town center and by and large their ideas have been completely ignored and I cant see where they said "yea put some new pavement down and benches and that will bring the people back".
  
  I would say Grantham high street needs a theme to stick to , there are some beautiful historical buildings\shops in town and some are plastered with cheap tacky signs , the first step should be to introduce a theme\look that every shop needs to adhere to for their shopfront and pay for the new frontage out of this fund, for the shops and businesses in town that already have signs that fit in the new look , allocate them money for other improvements. If you have a nice looking Highstreet appearance good shops want to come and be part of that brand.
  
  Other ideas , buy the empty shops , just at that end of town you have Issac Newton pub going for 300k , gravity 500k and taboo 275 - so thats just over a million on them assets , and then you can choose who rents these and give priority rents to the type of shops that might not organically come to the town.
  
  So thats say 1.5 on these properties including taxes and say 1 mill on giving every shop in town a new sign , you still have another 2mill to spend on something.
  
  But no - lets get some new pavement! and some benches , that in a year you will realize attracts the homeless and local youths to idle on. Perhaps they took the wording future high "street" fund literally.

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• Np44C wrote:

  04/02/2024 19:21

  With 3 supermarkets in the centre of town with free parking what chance does this scheme have, not much, save the money for something worthwhile.

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  +1
• Chappers456 wrote:

  04/02/2024 09:55

  It will take more holistic thinking than some new paving to rejuvenate the town centre, but it is not impossible.
  I would start by creating some standards for shop and street scene appearance and presentation, rent reduction on premises that have been vacant for long periods, and creating stretches of fully pedestrianised thoroughfares to foster a more relaxed and less motor-centric space.
  Oh, and maybe prioritise repairing the death trap potholes on the high street like that moon creator right up at Sainsbury's, as it's a bad omen on your way into town.

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  +7
• SDGW1966 wrote:

  03/02/2024 20:38

  This has been tried before and failed so why should it work this time?
  Investment in attracting new business and helping struggling existing business is required first, this attracts the shoppers who spend money in town and grow this towns economy. Which tourists and locals are going to visit a market place with poor shopping and entertainment venues but beautiful York stone setts??
  Unfortunately the majority of town and SKDC councilors fail to understand business nor economics.

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  +17
• Stirling123 wrote:

  03/02/2024 18:31

  Hang on. It isn't that long ago that the entire Market Area was paved in the existing stone, parking spaces removed and we had months of disruption to the market and businesses in the area etc...
  Is this an admission that those expensive previous works have not regenerated the area and hence they are going to try again?
  
  Didn't they have planters last time but then moved them because the planters were used as urinals and filled with cigarette butts?
  
  If they actually want to encourage pedestrian use why not actually make this area a pedestrian area and stop the traffic completely? Traffic can go up around this area up and down the High St and Sankt Augustin Way. You don't need cars in the Market Place.
  If you are going to do it don't be half hearted about it do it properly, don't just tinker around the edges.

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• Plainspeaking wrote:

  03/02/2024 17:23

  It's great that we are getting a substantial investment in Grantham town centre. The challenge in terms of the Market Place is that it is a very exposed and breezy location so the creation of more sheltered spots within this environment is needed. The area has not flourished since the expensive (and good quality) re-paving and I don't think it really will until it feels more comfortable and user-friendly. I trust the improvement plans take account of local experience and feedback!

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• Vera Horstead wrote:

  02/02/2024 19:38

  Please re-think the use of yorkstone setts. There are a lot of disabled people in the town who use mobility aids, scooters, wheelchairs walkers etc. All the pavements are in a diabolical state not just in the town centre but all over the housing estates. We are becoming prisoners in our own homes because it is just to painful to venture out. A lot of us have constant chronic pain which is aggravated by the uneven and textured pavements.
  I know I will be ignored because the powers that be will spout its got to be in keeping/historical/heritage garbage, but just think about getting people back into the shops and town centre. We want to be able to go out too.

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