Enhanced plans for the major redevelopment of the Lindongate quarter in Lincoln are firmly back on track, with the outline planning application having been substituted at the end of October, and a planning resolution is set to be achieved in December 2011.

Lincolnshire Cooperative Society’s proposal is at the heart of regeneration plans for Lincoln City Centre. Designed by architects Lyons+Sleeman+Hoare, the development will draw on the medieval cathedral city’s eclectic charm to deliver around 218,000 sq ft of contemporary A1 Retail shops, together with a 100,000 sq ft Department Store anchor, and  36,000 sq ft of A3 restaurants clustered round the waterfront of the River Witham. The scheme will also include riverfront apartments, a new bus station, and up to 900 car parking spaces.

The development is a chance to mend a broken part of this heritage city’s heart- and will tear down the existing bus station and insensitive 1970’s highways infrastructure to replace it with new city blocks and streets. Lincoln’s character and history is regionally unrivalled and the proposal presents a long-awaited opportunity to create vibrant modern retail space in its city centre.

Lincolnshire Cooperative Society have been working with Lyons+Sleeman+Hoare and the City Council to give greater clarity on how sensitive areas of the proposal will be treated, and the proposal has been reduced in height in key areas to respond to heritage issues. The proposal, which also includes Listed Building and Conservation Area applications, is the crucial catalyst project for Lincoln’s City Centre Masterplan.