Spalding's Fulney Hall revealed as HQ for broadband project

The Grade II listed Fulney Hall in Spalding has been revealed as the HQ of a company that is aiming to boost broadband speeds across the region.

Lightspeed Broadband will make its home in the 2,000 sq ft hall - which is on Holbeach Road, near to Springfields, and has been empty for a number of years.

Fulney Hall will be the focus of all Lightspeed’s operations, including infrastructure build, network, and customer service operations, as well as other head office departments, with 30 people being based there and local jobs being created.

The company plans to 'restore the building to its former glory' and to create a space where local people can try out gigabit internet speeds for themselves.

Lightspeed plans to connect 100,000 homes and business to gigabit broadband by 2022 - including properties in Spalding, Long Sutton, Holbeach, Bourne and Market Deeping.

Lightspeed Broadband chief operating officer Dave Axam said: “We are very excited that we will be basing all our operations in Spalding, at Fulney Hall. It’s the ideal base for our growing team and it’s clearly an important part of South Holland’s heritage. We’re looking forward to sensitively restoring the wonderful old building in keeping with its history and getting involved with the local community.

"Spalding is positioned at the very heart of our area and work has started on building our full fibre network in the town. We are moving at ‘light speed’ to bring a gigabit full fibre connection directly to local residents and businesses across South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk.”

Work started last month in partnership with Plancast and RCU Solutions - and more than one hundred engineers will work across ten towns in south Lincolnshire and West Norfolk.

Homes and businesses in Boston, Bourne, Holbeach, King’s Lynn and South Wootton, Long Sutton, Market Deeping, Skegness, Sleaford, Spalding and Stamford will get their current connections upgraded to 1000 Mbps. The current average speed in South Holland is 40.6 Mbps.

South Holland District Council leader Gary Porter said: “We’re delighted that Lightspeed have chosen to base their operations in the heart of the District, helping to create local jobs and bringing a historic and valued building back into use.

"Their exciting plans to bring superfast broadband to South Holland will provide a real boost to our residents and businesses across our towns and villages, using existing infrastructure where possible to ensure less impact on our street scene. We look forward to seeing their business develop further in the coming months.”

Pat Doody, chairman for the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership said that better broadband was 'vital' for the area as businesses look to recover from the pandemic.

He said: "We are delighted to be working with Lightspeed in southern Lincolnshire as it rolls out its next-generation broadband and supporting our business and communities to build back better from the pandemic.

"We are all acutely aware how vital a reliable broadband connection is for businesses, workers and schools. The programme means thousands of homes and businesses in Lincolnshire will soon be benefiting from gigabit speeds, with new local jobs created in the process as well as an HQ in Spalding.”

The first homes are due to be able to connect to quicker speeds later this year.

Simon Stone, retail director of new neighbours Springfields Outlet & Leisure, said: “Springfields is one of the most tech-enabled shopping destinations in the UK, so we're really pleased to welcome Lightspeed Broadband as our new neighbour.”