Boston Townscape Heritage Project – Town Regeneration

Client: Boston Borough Council

Project cost: £1.8 million

About the project: Heritage Lincolnshire and Boston Borough Council are working together to deliver the Boston Townscape Heritage Project funded through a partnership between National Lottery Heritage Fund and Boston Borough Council. This project will rejuvenate and restore the town’s historic centre as well as improve facilities for local people and boost the local economy.

This project is in the process of restoring the heart of Boston, by supporting building owners to bring  buildings in the town centre back to their former glory.  Which includes working with owners to regenerate their properties in the Market Place, Pump Square and Dolphin Lane, and undertaking public realm works around the town, upskilling local young people and contractors and also to support local events.

The scheme offers grants to building owners and leaseholders for repairs and shopfront reinstatements to properties to enhance the town centre, making it an attractive area to local people and visitors. The scheme focuses in 3 places within the town centre; the Market Place, Pump Square and Dolphin Lane.

The project delivers a series of engagement events including Boston Heritage Skills Festival, Boston Youth Ambassadors Group and working with the Boston Hanse Group to celebrate Boston Hanse day.  Please click here for more information on the engagement side of the project.

Heritage Lincolnshire are already working in partnership with Boston Borough Council to deliver the ongoing Townscape Heritage Project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and have worked with the Council in the past to deliver the Boston PSiCA Scheme.

The benefits of this urban regeneration scheme include:

• Perception of place transformed – Boston Town Centre is seen as an asset not a liability, attracting visitors and locals, new and existing businesses, and engendering pride in our town’s past and future.
• 30 businesses supported to improve their buildings and businesses. Economic impact of transformations; more appealing to visitors, aesthetics, brand etc.
• 30 historic building frontages repaired transforming the look of historic Boston’s town centre.
• Uplift in business rates from vacant floorspace brought back into use; at least 5 empty properties brought back into active use. Support the local council and encourages other businesses to set up shops within the local town area.
• Increased visitor and tourist footfall due to increased business activity and value.
• Encourage and support ‘above shop living’, maximising on floor space within these buildings. A bigger local economy with people living and working in the town to spend /put back into the local economy
• Increasing activity within Boston supporting local events including the Christmas Market and Boston UK May Fair Event and Hanse Day and a weekly Flea Market.
• Encouraging living above shops within the town centre benefiting the environment, local economy and creating a more vibrant town centre.
• Supporting skills and enterprise infrastructure which will drive private sector investment and ensuring Boston have the space to support skills and small business development.
• Support mixed use spaces within the scheme area creating more job opportunities and flexibility for businesses enabling the development of small businesses within the town.
• Uplift in business rates from vacant floorspace brought back into use; at least 5 empty properties brought back into active use.
• Supporting local employment in building contractors and craftspeople, building heritage skills.
• Create new jobs locally through new business and increased business activity.
• Delivery of the Boston Youth Ambassadors Initiative for committed to improving personal, professional and the creative development of young people aged 16 to 25.
• Supporting the development of traditional building skills and training through the delivery of the Boston Heritage Skills Festival.

Here are some of the fantastic before and afters of works that have been completed or are currently ongoing:

49 Market Place – Hoppers the Jewellers

8 Dolphin Lane – Crumbs

16 Market Place

17 Market Place – Beauts & Co

5 Pump Square