Preparations underway for re-opening of Lincoln High Street

High Street



City of Lincoln Council, along with local partner organisations are working together to ensure Lincoln High Street can open efficiently and safely later this month.

With government allowing the re-opening of non-essential retail outlets from 15 June, the city council, along with Lincoln BIG, Lincolnshire Police and businesses from across the city are working tirelessly to ensure suitable safety precautions are in place.

As part of the city’s Proud to be Open scheme, a number of measures are already underway in preparation for the reopening of the city.

So far, signage and floor stickers have been installed as a reminder of social distancing guidelines and the regular deep cleaning of the city centre is also planned for the coming days.

In addition, the city council will shortly be announcing new, temporary parking price reductions for both commuters and shoppers, to encourage people back into Lincoln’s city centre.

A number of supportive marketing plans for the city are also underway, with the aim of promoting and celebrating local businesses and reigniting the local economy.

Cllr Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth at City of Lincoln Council, said: “The reopening of the city is of upmost importance and we, alongside our partners, are working hard to get ready for the return of both residents and visitors to the High Street.

“We want to ensure Lincoln continues to be a safe place to visit and, together, we have implemented a number of ongoing measures to ensure visitors’ safety. These range from social distancing graphics on the pavements to regular, thorough cleaning of the city centre.

“It has been a very difficult time for local, independent retailers, and we hope these enable the city to fully awaken and return to something approaching normality.

“We look forward to seeing the city’s economy grow once more and we hope to announce special car parking prices in the forthcoming days to encourage more people back to the city to sample all it has to offer.”

Sarah Loftus, CEO at Lincoln BIG added: “We are proud to be working alongside our city partners to ensure the safety of residents and visitors to the city as non-essential retail units begin to open.

“Lincoln is a great place to live, work, visit and invest in, and we want to ensure that the safety of all those in the city continues to be the priority. 

“We have so far installed a number of floor stickers and signage with a reminder of government guidelines during this time, we ask that people coming to the city follow these guidelines to ensure the safety of all who visit.”

Chief Inspector Phil Baker of Lincolnshire Police stated: “The efforts of the communities of Lincoln have so far been exceptional in controlling the spread of Covid. 

“As the city centre reopens we will be jointly patrolling with the other agencies to help shoppers stay alert by engaging, explaining and encouraging people to maintain the required social distance and supporting the efforts in providing a safe environment in which people can shop.”
 

Published on June 5th 2020