Latest news with #CornhillMarket
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Lincoln music festival returns for third year
A music festival celebrating up-and-coming artists is to return to third Lincoln Live will be held in City Square, next door to its previous venue Cornhill of Lincoln Council said: "The new venue offers a more intimate setting, giving audiences the chance to fully immerse themselves in the live performances."The two-day event will be held on 30 August from 13:00 to 20:00 and 31 August from 12:00 to 17:00 BST. Artists chosen by BBC Introducing, which supports new talent, will perform on the main acoustic stage, Lincoln Live Unplugged, will be held at St Paul in the seating will be provided at both stages, but visitors are advised to bring deckchairs, food and non-alcoholic drinks. Councillor Joshua Wells, portfolio holder for inclusive economic growth at City of Lincoln Council, said: "It's a chance for people of all ages to enjoy free music in the city and celebrate the end of the summer holidays."Plus, with the Cornhill Market just steps away, visitors can easily explore it during the short breaks between performances.""As a whole, we're keen to collaborate with local independent businesses in both the city centre and uphill Lincoln to strengthen our connection with the community," he added. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
22-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Traders defend Cornhill Market in Lincoln following criticism
Traders have defended the refurbished Cornhill Market in Lincoln after some described it as "a costly flop".The two-year project to revamp the market hall – formerly known as Central Market – was completed in May last year at a cost of almost £ market has been criticised for having vacant units, but a number of stall-holders said they were doing well and had high hopes for the of Lincoln Council said it was working with businesses and planning a number of events in the coming months to boost footfall. Linsay Rouston-Turner, who runs the Corner Farm Kitchen stall, said the business was doing "really well".She told the BBC that although footfall had been a bit down during the winter months that was to be expected. However, she said she was optimistic about the future, with stall-holders working with the council on an events calendar to boost trade."It would have been nice to have had that back in May, but it's all coming together nicely," she added. Reeya Shresha, who runs a food stall selling Nepalese dumplings, said: "Right now, business is good – some stalls are empty, but we are getting by."However, she said in her view more could be done to promote the market as some people she had spoken to did not know it was there."Even though some people have lived here for a long time, they don't know it exists," she Morris, from La Bella Di Casa, a traditional Italian ice cream company which makes its produce in the city, said she was optimistic."We have been here since the opening day and it had been going great for us."Obviously, it's up and it's down – as is any retail – but we got off to a flying start and gained loyal customers," she added. Some have previously criticised the council over the number of vacant units at the Ms Morris said some of the stall-holders that had left had gone on to "bigger things", or left for other reasons, such as a change in personal circumstances."Things like this happen everywhere," she Salisbury, from Earthly Creations, told the BBC he had been in the market since it reopened last May, and had recently expanded to having two stalls."Footfall has been an issue over the period we've been here, but it's certainly got a lot better and we are working with the council to improve things," he said. "It is still relatively new, and it is a change to the old market – this is much more vibrant – and for some people that wasn't what they expected, but it was never meant to be a traditional old market."The market is very much alive – I'm optimistic that in six months' time this place will be buzzing."Work to refurbish the former Central Market was paid for by a £5.9m government programme and £1.9m of city council funding. Some additional funding from Historic England also contributed to the regeneration Democrat councillor James Brown previously told a meeting that he wanted the market to succeed, but said "all this public money invested has led to an embarrassing flop". Councillor Joshua Wells, the portfolio holder for economic growth at the Labour-led authority, rejected the criticism."We've been really keen to bring something new to the Cornhill this time and we are still working on that, but I think we are getting to where we need to be with it," he council conducted a review after six months to see what was working and what could be events programme to boost footfall in the market and the wider Cornhill area was due to be announced soon, he on the number of empty stalls, Wells added that the market was currently running at a 68% occupancy rate, which he said was slightly below the national he said there was "a long list" of traders interested in coming in, but this needed to be balanced against the type of stalls that were already there. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
