INTRODUCTION

C1 West Lindsey has three towns as identified in the Lincolnshire Structure Plan Review: Gainsborough, Market Rasen and Caistor.  These are Market Towns and act as focal centres for shopping, education, employment, leisure and numerous other services and facilities for their local population and the wider hinterland of many smaller settlements.

C2 The three towns play an essential role in the economic, social and environmental well being of the District.  The Council, through the Local Plan First Review and other strategies, is looking to focus investment and regeneration activities within the three Market Towns.  It is a priority for the Council to ensure there are a full range of services and facilities in the towns including jobs, shops, schools, health care, tourist facilities and homes to satisfy the needs of the local community.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

C3 Each individual town has its own strengths and weaknesses; therefore, the aims, objectives and vision for each town are presented separately on the following pages.  The objectives will be met by the Council through the Local Plan First Review in conjunction with other corporate documents, including the Sustainable Community Strategy and its implementation through the Local Strategic Partnership.

NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND STRATEGIC GUIDANCE

C4 Central Government Policy in PPS6 (Planning for Town Centres) and PPS7 (Sustainable Development in Rural Areas) sets out the need for market and other towns and villages to be the main service centres in rural areas.  The Government remains committed to encouraging regeneration in the market towns to strengthen their important role within rural areas.

C5 The Countryside Agency envisages a new role for Market Towns for the 21st Century.  Revitalisation should return them to their once thriving role within rural England, as local capitals and service centres for residents, businesses and the surrounding communities.

C6 The Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS8) includes Market Towns as a regional priority for development in rural areas because of their pivotal role within a District like West Lindsey.  RSS8 also emphasises regional priority areas for regeneration in peripheral and isolated rural towns.  Gainsborough has been identified as one of only three priority towns within the East Midlands for economic, social and environmental regeneration. Â

C7 The Lincolnshire Structure Plan Review provides the strategic guidance for the Local Plan First Review.  It identifies the three towns within the Plan and seeks to focus development in these areas because of their role in serving the needs of the wider hinterland.

MARKET TOWNS

JUSTIFICATION

C8 The Council firmly believes that guiding suitable development into the three Market Towns will help the regeneration process and improve the quality of life for local people.  They are a regeneration priority because, in line with Central Government guidance, there should be a clustering of services and facilities in order to serve both the town and its wider hinterland. The Council is undertaking work on a Master Plan for Gainsborough which in due course is anticipated to form the basis for an Area Action Plan to be produced as part of the future Local Development Framework.

GAINSBOROUGH

C9 Gainsborough is the largest town in the District and acts as the principal service centre.  It is situated on the eastern bank of the River Trent and is Britain’s most inland port dating back to the 6^th Century when it was known as ‘˜Gainas’. Â

C10 In recent times Gainsborough has suffered from a decline in its traditional industries; as a direct result there has been the closure of a number of large factories in the town.  The loss of an industrial base for Gainsborough has seen the subsequent deterioration in the fabric of the town that includes some of the housing stock.  As a consequence of the physical decay there has been a decline in the social fabric of the town.  The result of the physical and social decline of Gainsborough has left a number of sizable vacant previously developed sites around the core of the town.  These sites will be looked upon not as a scar on the fabric of the town and a reminder of what was once a thriving industry, but as an opportunity to develop into new businesses or other uses to bring with them investment and jobs. Â

C11 Gainsborough faces a sizeable regeneration challenge and work has already begun.  A good example of this is the creation of the Riverside Walk and the conversion of Whitton’s Mill into an imaginative and high quality social housing scheme. More recently re-development of the former Britannia Works site on Beaumont Street has generated a major retail revival with the new and exciting Marshall’s Yard retail and leisure complex within the town centre.

C12 Gainsborough has been identified by The Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS8) as a priority town for regeneration because of the amount of previously developed land and pockets of deprivation.  The Local Plan First Review is looking to set out a clear land use context for this regeneration activity.

C13 Gainsborough has a number of attractive features which are nestling within the town centre itself or on the outskirts.  The Grade 1 listed Old Hall, situated on Gladstone Street, is one of the most impressive 15^th Century timber built medieval manor houses found within the UK.  It has many prestigious historical connections including King Richard III, King Henry VIII and his fifth wife, Katherine Howard. Â

C14 There are also strong religious connections with Sir William Hickman, who allowed John Symthe his group of separatists to secretly worship in the manor house before leaving on the “Mayflower” to the New World in 1620, and John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.  Architecturally, it has changed little over the years and today offers an exciting school’s programme to the good quality schools within Gainsborough along with special events and exhibitions, as well as guided and taped tours.

C15 Gainsborough has many religious connections including the Parish Church of All Saints with its eight pinnacled medieval tower.  This is the only remaining example of an 18^th Century ‘˜city church’ within Lincolnshire.  The United Reform Church of 1896 situated on Church Street pays homage to the Pilgrim Fathers who left for America in the 17^th Century.  Furthermore, the Friends’ Meeting House built in 1704 is an example of Quakerism within Gainsborough.

C16 The Model Railway Club has a scaled down version of the East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Leeds Central.  There is also the Sands Venue in the Town Centre which caters for live music and the Trinity Arts Centre on Trinity Street which offers a venue for both live music and cinematic performances. Both venues draw in audiences from the wider surrounding area.  Gainsborough also has the ‘˜Bend in the River, a contemporary art gallery located on Bridge Street on the riverside.

C17 Gainsborough is reputed to be ‘˜Saint Oggs’ in George Eliot’s novel, “The Mill on the Floss” of 1860.  The now demolished Ashcroft Mill on the Riverside was said to be the model for ‘˜Tulliver’s Mill’ in the novel.

C18 There is good public transport provision in Gainsborough, with two railway stations well located for many local people to give access to regular services to the north, south, east and west.  There is a bus station within the town centre that allows travel to many surrounding settlements and into neighbouring Districts.

C19 The regeneration of Gainsborough will not occur as a result of an overnight transformation.   Development projects will need long term input in order for them to be successful.  The process has already started and the Council is keen to ensure that this gathers pace by attracting much more development interest in the town. The weekly markets on Tuesdays and Saturdays encourage more people into Gainsborough.  The additional shoppers will in time attract more well-known retailers to locate within Gainsborough particularly through the additional town centre floorspace opportunities presented at the new Marshall’s Yard retail and leisure complex.

C20 Gainsborough’s prime location on the picturesque River Trent and its close proximity to the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB together with the industrial heritage all indicate that Gainsborough has the potential to become a very desirable place in which to live, work and visit.

GAINSBOROUGH - AIMS & OBJECTIVES

C21 The aims and objectives for the future of Gainsborough are therefore:

·  To introduce, implement, encourage and achieve the overall regeneration of Gainsborough by bringing back into valuable use vacant, previously developed land and buildings and by guiding appropriate development to the most suitable sites.

·  To encourage high quality and imaginative design with clear guidance regarding the design of buildings, streetscape and open space to be required in the future.

·  To complete the regeneration of the Riverside which will be a catalyst to wider regeneration in the town.

·  To facilitate heritage-led regeneration activity. By making use of the redundant industrial sites and buildingsto create desirable conversions into a number of appropriate uses, taking example from Whitton’s Mill and other schemes and by encouraging good design on vacant sites, especially where they affect the setting of an historic building.

·  To ensure an adequate supply of housing with choice and opportunity for all who need a home by allocating suitable sites and ensuring a mix of housing types including an element of affordable housing where needed.

·  To redevelop and regenerate areas of housing within the town where vacancy rates are high and the general environment is of poor quality.

·  To revitalise the town centre with the encouragement of mixed-use development and the creation of better links to public transport.

·  To limit the outward spread of the town onto greenfield sites until, at least, major progress has been made on regeneration of its brownfield potential.

MARKET RASEN

C22 Market Rasen is the second largest of the three Market Towns in the District and stands on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the eastern part of the Plan Area. The Council has commissioned a Strategic Review for Market Rasen to see how all of its policies can positively benefit the town.   Â

C23 As early as the 13^th Century the town had an active market place: today there are weekly markets.  The local produce and specialty food is easily acquired in the town throughout the year.  Market Rasen now caters for the day-to-day needs of a large rural hinterland because of its services and facilities.  Therefore, although set in a remote location in terms of proximity to a city or large town, it can sustain the development of further residential dwellings to increase the population using its shops and other facilities.

C24 Market Rasen has the potential to have an excellent public transport system due to the existence of the railway links to Lincoln and beyond.  Market Rasen railway station is very well located being only 5 minutes from the centre of the town.  Market Rasen is an ideal location for a rural transport hub focussed upon the station because it lies in the centre of a block of countryside which is 30 miles by 45 miles and has no other railway station.  The East Midlands Development Agency and the Council are looking to develop such a transport hub to aid the town’s regeneration and to reduce social exclusion.

C25 Within Market Rasen there is a concentration of local people who cannot drive or who do not have access to a car.  In rural areas non-drivers seek out the market towns to live in so that they have access to all the services and facilities which they need both within the town itself and a transport network which will take them further afield.

C26 The proximity of Market Rasen to the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB makes it a prime centre for tourism related development.  The beauty of the Lincolnshire Wolds can easily be accessed from the town with its variety of services and facilities, which can sustain visitors.  There are over 70 Listed Buildings and a Conservation Area contributing to its attraction as a tourist town.  The Council is actively developing a tourism-led regeneration project for the town.

C27 The Market Rasen racecourse has been an important feature in the town’s history, dating back over 75 years.  In 1998 national television returned to the racecourse and raised the profile of the town and attracting new visitors. Â

C28 On the eastern edge of the town lies Willingham Woods, which is a perfect setting for walking and cycling. There are many circular cycling routes from Market Rasen which use the National Cycling Route.  The Viking Way long distance footpath also passes near the town and runs north to Caistor or east towards Tealby.

MARKET RASEN – AIMS & OBJECTIVES

C29 The aims and objectives for the future of Market Rasen are therefore:

·  To increase the railway services through the town to create a frequent and fast public transport service to enable people to travel in a sustainable way.

·  To ensure the encouragement of tourism by enabling appropriate tourism - related development to take place.

·  To maintain and enhance the town centre to create a viable and attractive range of shops and services to sustain and entertain residents and visitors by encouraging mixed-use development in key service areas of the town.

·  To ensure an adequate supply of housing with choice and opportunity for all who need a home by allocating suitable sites and ensuring a mix of housing types including an element of affordable housing where needed.

·  To encourage new business development to ensure residents can access jobs in close proximity to where they live and to ensure the economic well-being of the town.

·  To maintain and enhance the heritage of the town.

C30 Through continued positive planning these objectives can be achieved to improve the quality of life of the residents and the economic and environmental well-being of the town.

CAISTOR

C31 Caistor is a small market town perched on the edge of The Wolds and is thought to have originated during the early Roman occupation so the historical value of Caistor lends itself naturally to an attraction for its heritage. The Council has commissioned a Strategic Review for Caistor to see how all of its policies can positively benefit the town.  Â

C32 Caistor has a distinct character of its own with a significant number of Listed Buildings in the market town.  Its history dates back to Roman times and this is part of its character along with the role it plays as a service centre to the surrounding settlements.

C33 The existing townscape has deteriorated over time but this lack of attention has meant that historical buildings have retained their character and original features.  This market town has great potential to be restored to its former grandeur.

C34 Finding suitable sites for new housing in Caistor presents a problem due to the built form of the market town and the topography of the surrounding countryside.  Enabling an increase in population is important for the long term development of Caistor to help create the social and economic mass required to let the market town develop and flourish.

C35 The town’s centre as a service area is arguably poor.  It provides only a small range of shops and facilities to sustain and entertain residents or visitors.  Vacant shop units could be better utilised to create a mixed-use centre with shops, bars, restaurants and residential accommodation surrounding the existing square.  It is this potential that the Council and local residents are looking to capitalize on through heritage-led regeneration.

CAISTOR – AIMS & OBJECTIVES

C36 The aims and objectives for Caistor are therefore:

·  To promote the town as a heritage attraction by revitalising the decaying Listed Buildings around the town.

·  To facilitate heritage-led regeneration.

·  To maintain and enhance the town centre to create a viable and attractive range of shops and services to sustain and entertain residents and visitors by encouraging mixed-use development around the central square in the town.

·  To ensure an adequate supply of new housing with choice and opportunity for all who need a home by allocating suitable sites and ensuring a mix of housing types including an element of affordable housing where needed.

·  To encourage new business development to ensure residents can access jobs in close proximity to where they live and to ensure the economic well-being of the town.

·  To harness the economic potential of tourism-related development.

C37 Caistor needs to see some investment in its heritage to ensure the potential is not being lost. It would bring many of the Listed and other historic buildings back to their former glory, by encouraging their re-use, where appropriate.  There is currently in place a heritage regeneration project, the Caistor Townscape Heritage Initiative, with the aim to do just this.

C38 An improvement in the economic well-being of Caistor may be a catalyst to further environmental improvements not only for the market town centre but for the wider area of the rest of the town as a whole.

CONCLUSION

C39 The Council envisages market towns in which people are happy to live, work and play in a sustainable and safe environment with a thriving economy together with a range and choice of housing and a diversity of leisure, retail and cultural facilities to occupy residents.  The aim is to create places where people want to remain living and indeed choose to relocate to from outside of the market town.

C40 In the past the market towns have suffered from the concentration of functions into neighbouring larger centres outside the District, and from local policies which scattered development opportunities into surrounding rural villages.  As a consequence, the market towns have lost much of their vitality and viability.  The aim of the Local Plan First Review is to reverse the decline suffered by the District’s market towns due to loss of industry or competition from larger towns or cities, by regenerating an extensive range of facilities on offer, and enhancing the positive aspects of each town.

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