PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN ACTION
BANKS LONG & CO has welcomed the launch of a new city centre food store as the firm continues to play a key role in the multi-million pound renaissance of Lincoln’s Cornhill Quarter.
We provided our project management team’s expertise to client Lincolnshire Co-operative during the construction of its new convenience store at the corner of Sincil Street.
This property, which has nine new flats above it, is ideally placed for shoppers using the city’s new Transport Hub, with its state-of-the-art bus station and 1,000-space car park.
Banks Long & Co Associate Director Alex Statham said: “We are proud to have worked closely with the Society and builder Lindum Construction on this large phase of the Cornhill Quarter’s redevelopment.
“In this instance, we oversaw the creation of the shell of the food store and the flats above, which are nearing completion. The existing building has undergone sensitive refurbishment including re-instatement of the historic shop front, traditional awnings and curved glass details. The property has also been extended to the rear to increase the size of the shop and accommodate the new flats above. It is great to see it open for business.”
Lincolnshire Co-op’s new convenience store offers shoppers a range of chilled and fresh meal options, takeaway drinks, snacks and hot food, plus self-scan tills. The Society has also installed a free water bottle refill station.
The Society is leading the massive redevelopment of the area, which has already seen many historic buildings sympathetically restored, while being adapted for modern commercial use.
This approach has been reflected in the new store - with elements like the original 1919 shopfront and curved glazing restored. Design touches which also reflect the building’s heritage, include vintage-style lighting, tiled flooring and a hanging clock on the corner of Norman Street and Sincil Street.
Research into the building’s history, revealed that part of it was once a Lincolnshire Co-op – it was the Society’s “Colonial Meat Store”, selling goods from across the globe from 1908 until 1916.
Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Co-op Ursula Lidbetter said: “After years of working on the Cornhill Quarter redevelopment, it’s a special moment opening our new food store in the heart of the area.
“This is a modern store with high-quality facilities perfect for customers in a bustling city centre environment, whether they’re popping out for lunch, grabbing a meal before catching the bus home or refuelling during a shopping trip.
Contractor Lindum Group is carrying out the work in Sincil Street. Site Manager Neil White said the food store shop front, was the most complicated of all the shop fronts undertaken during redevelopment work.
“This work involved matching up the new frontage to the existing building, which included removing old brickwork at ground level and rebuilding it to match the existing curve. It also involved retaining a 1940s glass panel overhead,” he said.
“The new woodwork and the curved glazing had to match the size and shape perfectly. There was no room for error and it was a huge relief when it was all finally in place.
Lincolnshire Co-op runs a pharmacy and post office in the nearby City Square Centre.
The Society is applying for permission from NHS England to move the pharmacy to a refurbished unit at 15 Sincil Street. If approved, it is expected this move would take place in early 2020.
Lincolnshire Co-op’s aim is to relocate the post office – which now features members’ helpdesk services - to alternative city centre premises. Any move won’t take place before 2020.
Eventually, the plan is to replace the City Square Centre but this is in the early stages of planning and currently all services, and the tenants within the centre and along Waterside South, continue to trade as normal.