Wendy Osgodby – Gainsborough Place Manager at West Lindsey District Council
“As the physical regeneration of the town gathers pace, the work of the Place Board has been instrumental in supporting our development agenda.”
If ever there was an example of how collaboration brings real benefits, it’s Gainsborough.
We’ve had ambitious objectives at the Council to create a real difference in Gainsborough. As Place Manager, I’ve prioritised creating a supportive environment for local businesses in Gainsborough – with transformative results.
I discover new and exciting businesses that are based in the town all the time, and it’s really satisfying when some of those businesses grow, maybe a start-up unit at the plough, to their own premises, it’s really satisfying.
In just three years our market town has flourished – a new hotel and restaurant, a construction college, improved train service, new retail, hundreds of homes built and funding for improved cultural and leisure opportunities.
And the future of Gainsborough is bright. In recent years, we’ve generated more than £10 million of external funding for projects and infrastructure works in Gainsborough after decades of struggling to attract investment.
This includes the £1.9m Townscape Heritage Partnership, which will restore the historic heart of Gainsborough. It was such a long process to get this funding, it was really rewarding to actually get the money. But I think it will be even more rewarding to see it have an impact.
It will be great to see how improvement to buildings actually has an impact on people’s lifestyle, and help shape Gainsborough as a place to live, work and to shop.
As the physical regeneration of the town gathers pace, the work of the Place Board has been instrumental in supporting our development agenda.
They have helped champion the town, making it a place where people want to live, work and invest. There has been some significant achievements in the town centre as part of our regeneration plans for Gainsborough – including, most recently, the new restaurant and planned cinema.
There is so much opportunity now in Gainsborough. We have the fastest growing GVA in Greater Lincolnshire – but just looking around the town, you can see that it’s starting to thrive and that the time is right for investment here.