Edward Leigh MP Welcomes Eric Pickles' Visit

Mrs. Suzanne Scott, Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP,
Edward Leigh MP and Cllr. Burt Keimach.

Edward Leigh, who represents the Gainsborough Constituency, welcomed the Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to the Gainsborough Constituency on Thursday, 13th October 2011 together with fellow Conservatives, Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr. Burt Keimach and Cllr. William Parry, the authority’s Chairman.

The Secretary of State visited the Hemswell Cliff Primary School to open the community’s new ‘Room of Requirement’ – named with the Harry Potter books in mind. Head teacher Mrs. Suzanne Scott said:

Eric Pickles MP is shown Marshall's Yard
in Gainsborugh flanked by Cllr. Keimach
(Left) and Edward Leigh MP (Right)

“It's a great honour to welcome the secretary of state to our school.

“We are looking forward to using this facility along with our community.”

After opening the facility, The Secretary of State, Edward Leigh, Councillors, council officers and other stakeholders were briefed on the need to regenerate dilapidated former RAF bases into thriving communities. Mr Pickles said:

“I will rattle the MoD's cage on this as this is a place we should celebrate.”

Shopping Centre Plans Demonstrate More Confidence In Gainsborough

Plans for a shopping centre including a convenience food store in Gainsborough have been approved by West Lindsey District Council.

Applicants Tillbridge Developments and Thonock & Somerby Estates have got the green light to develop a former commercial site that has now been cleared off Corringham Road close to the Trent Valley Academy and opposite a modern housing estate.

A food store will be the main building on the site and there will also be five other units and parking for thirty-three customers and ten staff.

Leader of the Council, Cllr. Burt Keimach, Conservative (Market Rasen Ward) said:

"At a time when development throughout the country is still largely stalled as a result of the recession, this is another massive vote of confidence in the future of Gainsborough. It is vitally important that the largest town in West Lindsey will now act as a focal point to create jobs for the entire district that will benefit many families in all our communities.

"The fact that the town has Growth Point Status which will see Gainsborough double in size in the next twenty years will continue to make the area attractive to investors and I look forward to seeing more schemes like this which will ultimately benefit the whole district."

A report from planners warned of the need to protect the viability of the town centre from out of town developments, but approval came after a study calculated the catchment area for the Tillbridge development as being from the railway and The Avenue in the west, to the A631 in the east and from The Belt in the north through to Whites Wood Lane in the south.

Cllr Keimach added:

"Properties in this area are within a fifteen minute walk of the site which is the accepted guide. There are currently no convenience outlets in the main catchment area so as well as being a good new facility for local people, I think this scheme will also be well placed to serve new development planned for the area."

Permission has been granted subject to conditions including layout and design of an access road, landscaping and approval of a drainage system.

A spokesman for West Lindsey District Council's planning department confirmed that a second application, from a company called Morbaine in Cheshire, had been submitted for a site also at Corringham Road.

During pre-application discussions, Morbaine had been told that officers felt that the scale of their application was too large, but they applied anyway and the scheme was refused.
The latest position is that a written request has been received from a ward councillor that the new application should be reported to the planning committee rather than be dealt with by officers under delegated powers.

If this course of action is agreed the earliest date the councillors could consider it would be the July meeting. An objection has been received to this second application from Marshall's Yard.

The Council stressed that the authority needed to be sure that the scale of the development was in line with the local neighbourhood it would serve and that it would not have a negative impact on the town centre.

Gainsborough Market on the Move

With effect from Tuesday, 12th January 2010 the Tuesday and Saturday markets are being relocated to the old Guildhall and Ship Court car parks on Tuesdays and to the old Guildhall car park on Saturdays, to allow the Market Place and Silver Street to be refurbished.

But shoppers need have no fear as all your favourite traders have been allocated pitches at the new site and all businesses in the town centre will be open as usual during the work.

And to make the temporary move even more exciting, we've arranged for TV chef Rachel Green to be at the market on January 12 between 10am and 2pm when she will shop for all the top quality ingredients she needs to cook up a traditional Lincolnshire dish. Shoppers can watch the demonstrations free of charge.

And Rachel should be right at home as she is a county farmer's daughter who grew up collecting eggs and lambing ewes before making a name for herself by her passionate and committed championing of British produce.

She has several television series under her belt - from ITV Yorkshire's Flying Cook and World on a Plate, to Kill It Cook It! Eat! on BBC3 and Farm of Fussy Eaters on UK TV Style.

Her cookery demonstrations are renowned for their lively exuberance and she demonstrates all over the country, at the Divertimenti Cookery School in London, at the Royal Show and BBC Good Food Show, and is Celebrity Chef at Chatsworth Farm Shop.

This relationship inspired her new book, Rachel Green's Chatsworth Cookery Book, with a Foreword by the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, herself a pioneer of local and seasonal produce. Rachel said:

"Food production is in my blood. My mother's quince jelly and lemon drizzle cake is sought after the length and breadth of Britain!"

To get the market site ready on Tuesdays the car parks will be closed at 6pm on Monday evenings until 6pm on Tuesdays. On Saturdays the Guildhall car park will be closed from 4am until 5pm. On market days disabled car parking facilities will be made available behind the doctors' surgery car park.

Access to adjacent buildings and private car parks will be maintained throughout and alternative car parking can be found at the following locations:

• Bridge Street car park
• Beaumont Street/Lindsey Centre multi-storey
• North Streetcar park
• Roseway car park
• Whitton Gardens car park

The nearest public toilets are at Whitton Gardens.

West Lindsey Distrct Council May Demolish Former Headquarters

West Lindsey District Council may demolish its former headquarters after failing to sell the building. West Lindsey District Council moved from the old Guildhall to the new Guildhall at the successful Marshall's Yard development in Gainsborough early last year. The local authority is paying £57,000 a year to maintain the old Guildhall building which stands empty and feels it would be cheaper to demolish it.

Cllr. Bernard Theobald, the Conservative Leader of the Council, said there was no point in paying for a redundant building.

"We could use that area for car parking and that would increase our income.

"My view is it's a redundant building and the cost of refurbishing it far outweighs any intrinsic value."

Cllr. Theobald added that the move to Marshall's Yard had been recognised as 'the best decision the council has made for many years' and it had made a 'huge difference' to staff morale.