Agenda item

Questions, if received, under this Scheme now attached.

 

 

 

 

The Chairman advised the meeting that two questions had been received pursuant to Procedure Rule No.9. The questions had been circulated to all Members, separately to the agenda, and published on the website.

 

The Chairman invited Trevor Young to put his question to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jackie Brockway, as follows:-

 

“The Savoy Cinema has now been open for approximately 11 months and, whilst the cinema itself has been a welcome addition to the town centre, it is disappointing that the retail units beneath the development remain vacant.

 

Can the Leader please inform Members:

·       What interest has been shown in the large retail unit beneath the cinema since the development opened?

·       What progress has been made towards securing a tenant and when does the Council anticipate the unit will be occupied?

·       What specific actions is the Council taking to attract retailers and businesses to these vacant units and strengthen the town centre offer?

·       Can the Leader provide assurance that Gainsborough will not experience a similar situation to that seen in Grantham, where retail units beneath the Savoy Cinema remained unoccupied for a considerable period of time?

Given the significant public investment in the development, I am sure residents will wish to understand what steps are being taken to ensure these commercial units contribute fully to the regeneration of the town centre.”

 

The Leader advised that Councillor Bierley, in his capacity as Chairman of the Thriving Council Committee, would respond on her behalf.

 

The Chairman of the Thriving Council Committee, responded as follows: -

 

“Thank you for the questions.

 

From its opening in July 2025 to early June 2026, the Savoy Cinema has welcomed over 85,000 visitors. The cinema is clearly establishing itself as a vibrant and positive addition to Gainsborough town centre, increasing footfall and supporting wider regeneration objectives.

 

In terms of interest in the commercial units, there has been a good level of engagement from the market since the marketing went live last summer. This continues, and over the past 120 days, the units have generated more than 2,000 listing views, and our appointed agents have directly contacted 112 food and beverage operators across the local, regional and national markets. This has resulted in a number of site visits, including from well-known national brands such as Nando’s and Edinburgh Woollen Mill, demonstrating that the opportunity has been actively considered by a range of occupiers.

Significant progress has been made in securing tenants. I am pleased to confirm that two of the three commercial units are now let. These lettings both support the growth of an existing local business and introduce a further national operator into the town centre. Blush Florist is due to open by the end of July, relocating from Marshall’s Yard and expanding its offer to include a flower school and enhanced wedding services. In addition, Subway is expected to open by the end of the summer, further strengthening the town centre’s food and beverage provision.

 

With regard to the remaining unit, despite extensive marketing and interest, this reflects a challenging market context for the retail and leisure sector at local, regional and national levels. Feedback from some operators has referenced factors such as catchment size, footfall and investment return. However, discussions are ongoing with a prospective local operator, and we are continuing to explore a range of alternative options in line with our regeneration ambitions. Due to the commercial sensitivity of these negotiations, it is not possible to share further detail at this stage. Whilst a fixed occupation date cannot be confirmed, work is actively progressing and we remain focused on securing a sustainable tenant at the earliest opportunity.

 

The Council is taking a proactive and comprehensive approach to attracting businesses and strengthening the town centre offer. Working with our specialist agents, Eddisons, we are actively promoting investment opportunities to national, regional and local operators and benchmarking Gainsborough against comparable locations. Alongside this, we are actively managing vacant properties through targeted action plans and direct engagement with landlords.

 

This is supported by a wider programme of interventions, including business support, grant funding to improve shopfronts, and ongoing public realm investment. We continue to deliver a strong programme of town centre events and initiatives, alongside measures such as free parking, to drive footfall and increase dwell time. These actions are underpinned by regular vacancy monitoring, data-sharing with partners, and engagement through the town centre business group.

 

Members can be assured that this position is not comparable to that experienced in other towns. Two of the three units have been successfully let within the first year of the cinema opening, and active discussions are ongoing regarding the final unit. Whilst the wider market conditions remain challenging, we are taking a proactive, intervention-led approach to ensure that the unit is brought into use as quickly as possible with a viable and sustainable occupier.

 

More broadly, our regeneration work continues to be recognised externally. A recent visit by the Academy of Urbanism highlighted Gainsborough as a positive example of collaborative, place-based regeneration despite challenging market conditions. Looking ahead, the STEP Investment Plan, due for completion later this year, will set out the next phase of growth and development for the town and the wider district.

 

In summary, we are seeing tangible progress, with strong footfall, new occupiers secured, and continued active engagement with the market. We remain confident in the role of the cinema-led development as a catalyst for further investment and will continue to take an active approach to securing the best possible outcome for the remaining unit and the wider town centre”.

 

With permission of the Chairman, Councillor Young posed a supplementary question and statements suggesting that empty retail units were increasing, that the previous administration’s priority was to employee a specialist to attract businesses to the town and sought to understand whether the current administration would be putting more focus into this area, suggesting it was needed.

 

In responding the Chairman of the Thriving Council Committee shared his views on the significant progress and investment the town of Gainsborough had received particularly through Levelling-Up.

 

The Chairman invited Councillor Rollings to put her question to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jackie Brockway, as follows:-

 

“Residents across West Lindsey continue to raise concerns regarding poor internet connectivity, despite previous assurances from officers that broadband provision in our district compares favourably with many other parts of the country.

 

In today’s digital age, reliable high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but an essential service. Many residents depend on it for work, education, accessing public services, healthcare appointments, and staying connected with family and friends.

 

Can the Leader please inform Council:

 

·       What action is being taken by the Council, working with broadband providers and partner organisations, to improve internet connectivity across West Lindsey?

·       Which areas of the district are currently identified as having the poorest broadband and mobile internet provision?

·       What broadband infrastructure improvements are planned over the next 12 to 24 months?

·       What timescales can residents expect for the delivery of improved services in those communities that continue to experience poor connectivity?

Finally, can the Leader assure residents that improving digital connectivity remains a priority for the Council and that every effort is being made to secure the level of internet service that residents and businesses require to thrive in the modern economy?”

 

The Leader of the Council responded as follows: -

 

“Thank you for your question

 

The latest figures show that in West Lindsey 93.75% of premises have access to Superfast coverage (30Mbps or higher) and 74.26% of premises have access to Gigabit coverage (1Gbps or 1,000Mbps). Whilst we continue to see high speed coverage increase we currently have 5.23% of premises with coverage below 15Mbps.

 

As a District Council we continue to work closely with Lincolnshire County Council and key services providers such as Openreach, Virgin, Quickline and Grain Communications. Our Officers maintain regular contact with providers who have been issued BDUK Government contracts to deliver broadband infrastructure improvements.

 

There are areas of the district that struggle with slow connection speeds. These are being identified as part of BDUK’s Project Gigabit which aims to support fast and reliable broadband and mobile coverage in hard-to-reach places. This national work includes looking at alternative ways of supplying service such as satellite or air wave delivery.

 

Infrastructure improvement works are delivered as part of contracted Lot’s issued by BDUK. In particular Lot 10 covers improvement work in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire but is currently waiting for a new provider to be announced. Lot 23 was awarded to Quickline to deliver improvements in Lincolnshire which includes various communities in West Lindsey.

 

I have requested Officers prepare a list of locations we are aware of planned improvement works in West Lindsey and to share these with all Members for information. Where possible this will include details of timescales for planned works.

 

Improving digital connectivity continues to be a priority for the Council and is reflected under our objective of ‘Supporting our communities to thrive’ within our Corporate Plan 2026-2030. Whilst infrastructure works are governed by BDUK, including where and when service upgrades can be introduced, we will continue to pro-actively engage with partners such as Lincolnshire County Council and broadband providers to influence positive improvements for West Lindsey residents.

 

At a local community level we also continue to deliver Wi-Fi Hotspots in community locations, such as village halls, further enabling digital access and supporting community activity”.

 

The Leader also outlined some of her experiences at speaking with the big providers and the reasons they give for not investing.

 

With permission of the Chairman, Councillor Rollings posed a supplementary question and statements suggesting that more needed to be done, that it was unacceptable that many areas had very limited connection and that this hampered modern life and the ability to run businesses. Councillor Rolling’s suggested the Council needed to advocate more on this issue, understand better the gaps in provision and considered it would be a good topic for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to consider.

 

In responding the Leader indicated that it would be passed on to the Chairman of Overview and Scrutiny Committee for her consideration.

 

This brought Rule No.9 questions to an end.