The economic development team at South Kesteven District Council is working hard to develop Grantham as a centre for business and growth.
Over the past few years significant improvements have been made to the look of Grantham as a town.
Work including a £2.1m re-development of the historic Market Place and Westgate and a £78,545 shop front scheme to enhance the look of local businesses has been completed.
And the town’s first Gravity Fields Festival - a celebration of Isaac Newton’s life and work which attracted thousands of visitors from across the UK, has given the town a new lease of life and put it on the national map.
But these projects are just the beginning. As well as planning for another action packed Gravity Fields Festival in 2014 the team are gearing up for a steam speed festival in September to celebrate the record set by the Mallard locomotive 75 years ago which is still intact today.
The strategic lead for economic development and regeneration Corrine Garbett said: “As a team, our aim is to support and drive the economic growth of the district, working in partnership with both businesses and residents to help the area thrive and prosper in any way we can.
“We have been pleased with the progress that we have made and have already seen Grantham voted the 12th best commuter town in the UK by the Sunday Times. I think that we have made real strides in the town and given residents confidence in us. We need to move forward with local businesses and stakeholders to encourage even more partnership working.
“Now is the time to really push Grantham forward as a centre for business which is just an hour and five minutes from London by rail and on the A1 trunk road.”
Over the next month a new shop scheme will be launched which targets empty retail units. Vinyl graphics are placed in the windows of the un-used space to smarten up the area and attract new tenants.
Corrine said: “The shop scheme is something that residents will see happening right now. A lot of our work goes on behind the scenes with large projects for Grantham like the Southern Quadrant development on Spitalgate Level which is crucial for the future of the town, but is a long-term goal not something that people will see right away.”
For more on economic development projects, visit www.southkesteven.gov.uk or www.granthamforgrowth.co.uk