Fears that plans for Spalding's former Sorting Office in The Crescent will fail to deliver

Plans to revamp Spalding’s ex sorting office have been approved - despite criticism that the design was ‘pretty grim’ and may never come to pass.

Members of South Holland District Council’s planning committee passed a scheme for nine flats and a ground floor shop in the abandoned eyesore in The Crescent.

However, the scheme - which uses the structure of the existing building - did draw some criticism.

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones queried the wisdom of the shop element, cautioned the ‘rush to grab’ any solution for an eyesore and asked why anyone would want to ‘pay homage’ to an ‘unpleasant’ building.

He also questioned whether it will ever see the light of day, adding: “My biggest regret is that this application is totally speculative - it’s a proposal with with no end user. It’s a proposal that’s been put in without any prospect of actually being delivered to my understanding.”

Coun Christine Lawton added: “It’s a hideous, horrible building.

“I think this is pretty grim. Do we have to accept it because the only alternative is to leave it there to rot? I don’t know.”

She said she would like to see the whole building pulled down and replaced with something more in keeping with the setting, which is next to the Sessions House.

Coun Lawton added: “It might turn out to be a horrible mistake.”

However, chairman James Avery said he liked the ‘nod’ to the sorting office and felt the plan would have a positive impact on this part of the town.

Coun Rodney Grocock added: “It’s been an eyesore for the good people of Spalding for far too many years and I am pleased it’s now going to be developed.”

Coun Peter Coupland pointed out that building something new would carry a big cost - and that it was not for councillors to consider whether or not it would be delivered.

He added: “It appears a good scheme. I am hoping this will be another one of the untidy sites we may well take off our list.”

Coun Henry Bingham said he did not like the plan personally but felt that even if the plan did not come to fruition in its current form it might pave the way to finally tidying the building up. He said: “At the end of the day it’s a stepping stone to getting rid of an eyesore we have all looked at for far too many years.”

A condition placed on the application aims to bar the use of vinyl stickers in the window of the shop.

There are no car parking spaces in the development - but members said they thought the flats would be occupied by people with no car.

The sorting office was built in the 1960s and then abandoned by Royal Mail in the 1990s. It has deteriorated in appearance - with dead pigeons seen in one of windows.

The plan includes one three-bed flat, four two-bed flats and four one-bed flats.