“How do we access properties and shops?” Works to pedestrianise Sleaford Market Place to begin this summer with car park closure

Works to pedestrianise Sleaford Market Place will kick off with a closure of the car parking facilities in mid-July.

The plan to complete the project by the end of this year, according to emails sent to local businesses by North Kesteven District Council.

The local authority has been pushing the £1 million plans for a makeover of Sleaford Market Place, which would restrict vehicle access for parking and instead create a multi-purpose space for pedestrians.

Proposals include flowerbeds and public seating around the existing war memorial, but plans around eradicating parking were sent back to the drawing board after multiple deferrals during planning meetings.

Now, though, the wheels appear to be truly in motion for this scheme, with a leaked email to Market Place businesses stating July 19 as the start date of the car park closure.

Works would then start at the end of July, with a view to finish in December to allow for the return of pedestrians in the Market Place, and for events such as the town council-managed market to come back in early 2025.

Businesses and residents alike have long been criticising the plans and the process around acquiring planning consent for this build, saying they were never properly consulted.

One of those is Wendy Hanslip from Bellissimo Boutique on the Market Place.

She has petitioned and campaigned tirelessly for a reversal of the decision, but so far it has been to no avail.

She now worries about the impact it could have on her business.

“I’ve been told they will board around the car park, so what are we going to be looking out at from my shop window for five months? How do we access properties and shops during this time?” she asked.

“At the bottom of the email we were sent, the council said they wanted to talk to us. Why now? We’ve wanted to talk for over a year! It still comes down to us never being consulted at the time; I found out it was happening when a planning notice was posted through my letter box, that’s it.”

Wendy says this will damage the “visibility” of her shop for customers for the rest of the year, and fears shoppers will stop coming if the convenience of parking nearby is removed.

“The core customer base will never come back,” she said. “We’re definitely going to lose trade in this town as a result.

“We say it’s going to look like Tellytubbyland once it’s finished, and that’s before those nice triangles in the visuals are used as skateboard ramps, graffiti shows up, the leaves from the trees they’re going to plant block the drains, and the birds that live in the trees leave droppings everywhere.

“I’ve been here seven years, and now I can’t say with confidence that I’ll be here in seven months. I signed a lease extension before these plans were announced, so now I feel stuffed. What happens if I can’t pay my bills because customers don’t come while the work takes place?”

During our talk with Wendy at Bellissimo, disabled resident Dee Howby approached us to give her views on the plans.

She said: “The Equalities Act 2010 is about inclusivity and supposed to champion us being considerate, but where am I expected to park now? The competition for blue badge spaces is bad enough without this.

“I can’t walk from Eastgate, that is too far for me with my walking stick, and if I have to walk into the town centre then I just won’t be able to come out shopping anymore, I physically can’t do it.”

Dee added that she is not against the idea of an “aesthetic area” to be proud of, but argues Sleaford “does not have the climate” for it to be successful.

However, not all businesses along the Market Place are as angry about the plans. Ryan and Hollie Blankley run The Yard Venue, a spin-off events venture from their successful Watergate Yard pub and B&B business along the street it is named after.

The Yard Venue opened earlier this year, and Ryan and Hollie say they aren’t against pedestrianising the Market Place, as long as other transport options are bolstered around the town.

“This new proposal looks better for the community in general, in my opinion,” Hollie said.

“There aren’t really any good, quality spaces to sit and just be in this town, and from what I can see, it’s about making the space multi-purpose, rather than just an empty spot where cars can’t park.

“We’ve managed six years without parking at Watergate Yard and been successful, but our business doesn’t really rely on people parking outside and there are businesses here that have only ever known parking at the Market Place, whereas for us we’ve only ever known no parking.

“They really should make better parking spaces elsewhere and improve public transport, too. A shuttle bus that loops around the town all day would be a good idea.”

One local businesswoman who is strongly against the Market Place proposal and “has been from day one” is the owner of Carre Emporium, who asked reporters to refer to her only as Lynne.

Lynne has been a resident in the town for around 30 years, and has run Carre Emporium on Market Street for over 15 years, but she fears the clock is ticking on her shop with not just the introduction of these construction works, but the lasting impact of no parking at Sleaford Market Place.

North Kesteven District Council has been contacted to confirm the dates that were conveyed in emails to local businesses, which have been seen by Local Democracy Reporters.