Spalding Steering Group wants to make more of River Welland

Bringing buses closer to the town centre and making more of the River Welland as an attraction were discussed by members of Spalding’s steering group.

Coun Angela Newton said she wanted to see buses stop in Sheepmarket so that people can be dropped off nearer to the town’s shops.

She also wants to see buses bring people in from estates on the edges of the town - and would ideally like to bring them into the town centre like in Boston.

Brylaine MD Marianne Garbutt said she was looking into how to develop a better strategic bus network in and around Spalding and she would work with members to make their ideas ‘part and parcel’ of the plans.

She did, however, say there’s a ‘fundamental issue’ with Lincolnshire County Council and getting its support for changes.

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones said he’d toured the town with someone from The Prince’s Trust and explained: “He made a wonderful observation about the fact that we gain absolutely no benefit from one of our greatest assets - the jewel in the crown of Spalding actually - which is the river side.”

He said we cut ourselves off from the river by allowing traffic along both sides of the river and feels Spalding could be more attractive if motorists were only allowed to travel along one side.

He added: “On paper it’s a very simple solution but you have got to ask the county council to do something to fix the traffic flows.”

Rev John Bennett, vicar at the Parish Church, said that the pandemic had changed his perspective on the town - and opened his eyes to issues facing pedestrians.

He told last week's meeting: “The Market Place is not a particularly nice place to be a pedestrian when cars can come at you at almost any time - certainly when there are cyclists coming at you from all sorts of directions.”