‘There is no point putting planters in if you are not on top of anti-social behaviour!’ Councillor says issues in Spalding town centre must be addressed during £280,000 makeover

Problems of anti-social behaviour must be addressed at a town centre site currently undergoing a £280,000 revamp, a councillor has said.

Work to install planters and benches is underway in Spalding’s Hall Place.

Nearby businesses have already raised concerns regarding how close the fixtures have been placed to their shop fronts, but Coun James Le Sage says he is more worried about measures to ensure the area can be enjoyed by all.

However, South Holland District Council have asked the public not to judge the new look until work is completed, adding that the authority has liaised with the police in an attempt to create a design which will ‘minimise the opportunities for large anti-social groups to congregate’.

The previous town centre benches and planters had been nicknamed the ‘Circle of Doom’ by locals, due to day drinkers congregating there.

“When they blocked the area off (to begin the project) the anti-social behaviour just moved somewhere else,” said Coun Le Sage, who represents the St John’s ward on South Holland District Council

“The question has been asked in a full council a couple of times, what is the Cabinet going to do with the anti-social behaviour in Spalding town centre?”

Coun Le Sage believes the answer lies with either Kingdom LA Support - the private firm which carries out patrols to deal with anti-social behaviour and littering in the district - being given ‘the powers to take away alcohol or ban people from the town centre’ or encouraging a greater police presence in the town.

“Most people’s concern, more than anything, is the anti-social behaviour,” he added.

“There is no point of putting any planters in if you are not on top of the anti-social behaviour that people don’t like.”

These comments come as South Holland Police’s Insp Matt Dickinson is encouraging members of the public to report anti-social behaviour as it happens in a bid to unlock more vital resources for the force.

Coun Le Sage - who also raised concerns about the planters attracting rats, as happened in the town centre in 2022 - has also criticised the new town centre lay-out.

While The Hiring, the statue which marks Spalding’s 19th century hiring fairs, will remain, the councillor has lamented the Johnson Fountain, once a focal point of the area, being moved to Ayscoughfee Gardens.

“They have totally missed a trick,” he added.

“I can’t help thinking that for the better of the town centre an area outside Boots with proper seating with the water fountain included, would be better.

“We could have had events around there; Christmas carols round the water fountain, Shakespeare round the water fountain, poetry round the water fountain. Wouldn’t that have been so much better?

“Us town centre councillors are getting a lot of flack for this. These planters being put out are the first time we’ve seen anything properly, all we’ve ever seen is a few artists’ impressions.

“It looks like a Scandinavian hot-tub supplier has come into the town centre and just pushed them off wherever he thought.

“It’s very much a cabinet-led thing, and people confuse councillors with the cabinet.”

Coun Le Sage’s comments were echoed by Monkshouse ward councillor Ingrid Sheard.

“I was in town last Tuesday and spoke to a variety of people whilst doing my shopping and everyone was unhappy about the planters, the size of them, the fact that they are wood, and where they have been positioned,” she wrote in a letter to LincsOnline.

“There was a public consultation on this, but people feel it was unclear information to base their opinions on and was past the point where big changes could have been made from what I understand.”

Hall Place is one four areas undergoing the revamp, the others being Red Lion Street, part of the riverside near High Bridge and New Road.

Planters are already in position in Hall Place, while the benches and a timber bin for recycling and general waste have also been installed this week.

At the heart of the riverside work will sit a large elliptical Swithland planter behind a curved seating area.

Yorkstone paving blocks will be in place either side and behind the planter to form a walkway while in front will be timber bollard lighting.

Four Kensjngton timber planters have been placed along Red Lion Street although benches, shown in original plans prior to a public consultation, will not form part of the new look.

The area at New Road will see the existing octagonal planter stripped back and repainted and a timber bin for recycling and general waste added.

The circular planter, hanging basket tree and bin have been removed while the bollards and cycle racks will be retained.

Cattle statues, part of a proposed heritage trail, are planned to also sit on this site.

A South Holland District Council spokesperson said: “We cannot expect planters alone to stop anti-social behaviour from taking place in our town, and the council will continue to work with Lincolnshire Police and other partners to identify those committing anti-social acts and ensure they are held to account.

“As part of the designs for Hall Place we worked with the police’s designing out crime and anti-social behaviour team to minimise the opportunities for large anti-social groups to congregate, whilst retaining an element of seating that was identified through the public consultation as still being required for those with mobility issues.

“We are aware of the issues the previous planters faced with occasional rodent issues, as can be common in town centres, and the newly installed street furniture uses a metal lining, rather than the previous wooden-lined ones, to help make them inaccessible by vermin and other pests.

“We would ask people not to judge the finished product until installation and planting is completed.”