Boulders replace plastic barriers in Sheep Market Stamford
Plastic barriers that have blighted a town square for a year have finally been replaced.
The white, sand-filled boxes arrived in Stamford’s Sheep Market as a temporary measure to prevent parking on the paved area outside Moores Estate Agents.
On Monday (December 9) they were removed by South Kesteven District Council, with limestone boulders being put in their place on Tuesday morning.
The boulders were supplied and delivered by the firm Mick George from its Wakerley quarry. A longer term enhancement scheme for the square will follow, which is being designed by the Urban Group of Stamford Civic Society.
Andy Moore, chairman of the group, said: “The project will improve the area and make it more usable for people who live in and visit the town.
“At the moment we are working on the designs and on attracting funding, which can be a long process, and so in terms of timescales we are probably looking at another 12 months before the rest of improvement scheme can start.
Plastic barriers were put in place at the end of 2018 to prevent people from using the paving in front of the bus station and Moores Estate Agents as a car park.
Major changes to Sheep Market and Stamford’s Red Lion Square were carried out more than a decade ago, and included the installation of the modern Queen Eleanor cross monument and stone seating in Sheep Market in 2009.
The project was controversial, with many residents critical of the design and the £1.5m price tag. In the past year there have been calls for the stone sets - often called cobbles - to be removed from Red Lion Square because they have worked loose and become a trip hazard.
