Worried business owners who fear the condition of a shopping area could push people away – are calling on developers to speed up construction work at a prominent grot spot site to boost the area’s image.
Businesses along The Crescent in Spalding have voiced concerns about the state of the street and have stated what needs to change to improve the area.
After improvement plans were approved by South Holland District Council, for developers Karavan Holdings, to improve the former Spalding Sorting Office site two years ago, there has been little progress made since.
On top of that, overgrown weeds are protruding onto the pavement plus there has been a dumped fridge in recent weeks which has made this prominent shopping area look untidy.
Property Consultant at Sedge Estate Agents, Coun Aaron Spencer, believes the street would benefit from pedestrianisation and a new vision.
He said: “I have lived and worked in the town all my life, I love Spalding and will never leave. Sedge brought the building down The Crescent in 2019 and since we have been there, we have seen a lot more footfall from clients and tenants.
“Personally, if I had my way with it, I would pedestrianise it so you could promote cafes restaurants and local businesses with outdoor seating. They could close the road for six months and just see how everyone gets on.
“I think in other cities and towns which have businesses spilling into the streets, it is really nice and makes a big difference to the area – but I do think more care needs to be taken by owners of the buildings, so it doesn’t look so run down.
“The great big sorting office, which is being bashed about, is under utilised and it could be a really nice space for the town. We need someone to invest in it with a vision, but until that happens I think it will just be the same little cut through road.
“I have suggested pedestrianising it to the council. The problem with the town is, if you don’t try something new, it will stay the same or decline – we need to radically change what we offer as a town.
“If things don’t change it will draw people away from the town. People need to be thinking about what brings the public into the town and what else we could offer and the council need to support it but I just don’t think they have a plan.”
Long standing trader, Emma Peake, of Daisies Flower Shop, argues against pedestrianisation and believes the area benefits from traffic.
She said: “We need traffic. People like to park on the street, nip into town and do their jobs.
“I get customers because people park along the road outside of my shop – pedestrianisation for a small town will kill it.
“A little bit of housekeeping along The Crescent wouldn’t go a miss and the sorting office definitely needs sorting, but we do need to keep the traffic flowing – it’s a must.
“I have been in my shop for 34 years and it is the saving grace that we have people driving down the road and using street parking – if it stopped it would be a nail in the coffin.”
We did approach South Holland District Council for an update on the construction work taking place at the former sorting office, however a spokesperson said it was a matter for the developer.
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