Councillors back plans for £8.25m development of college site

The site of the former college (shown in red) although it not clear how much land will be involved in the new plans. Mareham Road is bottom left of the image

In the days of the Wild West , the cry that used to ring out across the good ol’ buffalo plains was: ‘Here comes the cavalry!’

In current day Horncastle, it has changed to: ‘Here comes East Lindsey District Council!’

Whether the authority is actually riding to the rescue of besieged settlers probably depends on where you live.

ELDC has confirmed it is planning to move lock, stock and barrel to the former Horncastle College site off Mareham Road in a £8.25m redevelopment.

Part of the former Horncastle College site which could become part of the new development

And it’s just not the council that is coming to LN9...the ambitious plans also include a new College of Further Education in a partnership with Boston College.

The plans – which signal one of the biggest ever investments in Horncastle – should deliver a welcome boost to the town’s economy.

Apparently, the new ELDC headquarters will have 170 desks.

Some staff will work from home (good luck with the internet!) and some from other locations. The majority will transfer from Tedder Hall which costs almost £400,000 a year to maintain,

Nose to tail: Traffic on Boston Road. There are fears scenes like this could increase

More people should spell good news for local businesses...even if it is a lengthy hike from the site to the town centre.

Potential cycle path apart, more people means more vehicles...on already congested roads.

And while councillors voted 35-9 in favour of the plans last Wednesday, perhaps it’s town Mayor Fiona Martin who best summed up the situation.

She said: “I’m all for the development. It is wonderful news for Horncastle. I haven’t spoken to anyone who is against it.

“It’s positive, not only for Horncastle but for East Lindsey as a whole. These are very exciting times.”

Coun Martin, a town and district councillor, is an MBE – awarded for services to the community – and she has spent the last 33 years travelling from her home in Mareham Road to Manby.

Now, she can look forward to a much shorter journey while other councillors will probably have to make sure vehicles and tested and insured!

But Coun Martin has concerns – not least regarding traffic.

Horncastle mayor and district councillor Fiona Martin

Her fellow councillors probably only glanced at a traffic report that she says contains ‘a lot of false assumptions and a lot of gaps’.

Coun Martin is particularly concerned about a section of the report describing Foundry Street as a potential two-way road, offering a possible second access to the site.

As she points out, Foundry Street is supposedly ‘residents’ access only’ while the talked-about second access is currently fenced off alongside buildings Lincolnshire County Council apparently wants to retain.

On top of that, the report suggests that at 5pm ‘home time’ there will be only nine ‘extra’ vehicle movements along Mareham Road.

Coun Martin says: “I fail to see how that can be accurate. There are 170 desks for ELDC, then all the students, all the staff. Nine vehicle movements? No way.”