Red Lion Quarter – Local Companies receive a New Year boost - Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, UK

Red Lion Quarter – Local Companies receive a New Year boost

The public competition to select a name for the development at Red Lion Street Spalding, reached a climax with the most popular voted name, “Red Lion Quarter”, being adopted by the Development Board during a meeting at South Holland District Council Offices on Friday the 7th of January.

The competition prize winner is Mr David Lane of Spalding, who has won a free meal for four people at the new restaurant that is being created at the site; also a special invitation to the opening ceremony with celebrity chef Jason Atherton that is due to take place in March 2011. The Board would like to express thanks to all the members of the public that took part in the competition and to the Lincs Free Press who helped with the naming selection process and the competition.

The development in Red Lion Street, Spalding has begun the New Year full of vigour. The majority of the site has now been cleared and demolition of the derelict buildings has taken place over the past weekend - a decision that was taken to minimise the disruption to the town centre.

The next major stage of construction will involve the piling of the steel support structure and again the partners and construction contractors, Willmott Dixon Construction, have taken into account local concern involving disruption and noise levels. The system of insertion of the supports will involve a special crane that “screws” the piling into the ground rather than striking them into position which will reduce noise and vibration.

Richard Baggaley, South Holland District Council Project Manager for the development, commented, “Local people’s concern over the potential disruption this major development may cause has been taken into account by ourselves and the major contractors and we have taken positive measures to reduce any potential adverse impact. All the local residents and businesses have been consulted and received notification of the construction process involved. We have visited many of the residents in person to discuss the development and have been very encouraged by the responses we have received.”

The Board also received the latest figures on Willmott Dixon Construction’s spending on the development to date, with local companies initially winning over 90% of contracts awarded so far.

It is not just in the construction element that local companies are benefitting; a Spalding based business, Vantage, has been successful in securing the contract to design and produce the website for the development which, it is hoped, will be completed by early February 2010.

Councillor Paul Pryszlak stated, “It’s very encouraging to see local companies gain these contracts. This major investment in the local economy is just one of the benefits that the Red Lion Quarter will continue to bring to Spalding and the surrounding area. It will not only help to secure and create local jobs during these difficult economic times but will help other businesses in the area; it all has a knock on effect.”

South Holland District Council, working in conjunction with The East Midlands Development Agency (emda), Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Enterprise and Boston College, expects the £7million pound investment to help invigorate the local economy as well as delivering the benefits that the completed facility will bring directly to Spalding.