Local Caistor residents work with Lincolnshire Co-op to save historic buildings in the Market Place
A group of local people have come together to form a steering group for a project to repair 2-4 Market Place in Caistor and to bring these important historic buildings back into use.
The project is supported by Heritage Lincolnshire, a local heritage charity, who have secured funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund to help to set up the group and to work in partnership with the owners, Lincolnshire Co-op, to find a long-term solution to the Caistor buildings.
The Grade II listed buildings are nationally important and are in a prime location in the centre of this historic market town.
The steering group is made up of 5 local volunteers who will form the basis of a new constituted group which will be able to apply for funding to contribute towards the project and will oversee the buildings’ operation once the project is complete.
As part of the project the group will:
- Identify a viable new use for the building based on an options appraisal undertaken in 2016 which consulted the wider community.
- Receive training on different types of legal bodies they could become in order to undertake the project and run the site for the benefit of the town in the future.
- They will also visit other projects that have been completed by community groups across the region. This will assist in the preparation of funding applications to a project that will breathe new life into the buildings and attract more visitors to the town.
Next year they will be looking for more people to join the group and help run the project, targeting those with key skills that the group do not currently have. They will also be recruiting volunteers to help with wider project activity.
Group member, Alan Dennis said:
“I’m really excited to be part of the group. It is going to take a lot of our volunteer input to get sorted, but I think it is worth it to see the building saved and used to benefit the community. We are looking forward to the next few months.”
Liz Bates, CEO of Heritage Lincolnshire said:
“This is exactly the kind of project Heritage Lincolnshire is set up to support. We have been working with the new steering group to secure funding for them to develop so that they will be able to take the project forward. There is now great potential for Lincolnshire Co-op and the group to work together and save the Market Place buildings.”
Stephen Galjaard, CFO of Lincolnshire Co-op said:
“Lincolnshire Co-op is committed to seeing this building back in use and benefiting the community. We are delighted that this group of volunteers are keen to work alongside us and Heritage Lincolnshire to move the project forward.”
Matthew McKeague, CEO of the Architectural Heritage Fund said:
“It’s great to see this partnership of local people, Heritage Lincolnshire and the building owners working to find a solution to 2-4 Market Place. It’s important to look at governance and learning from others in the early stages of projects like these, so it’s good to see the focus on that as a long term solution is developed.”
