Keith Whaley chaired the meeting and said how delighted he was to see such a large audience and expressed the hope that the meeting would be a staging post for the future. He read out a letter received from Mike and Helen Grant, the owners of Caistor Post Office, which expressed similar sentiments to his own. (Text of letter available if required). He also welcomed the WLDC councillors for Kelsey and Yarborough, Louis Strange and John Indian who were in the audience along with the Mayor of Caistor, Steve Webster.

Keith explained that as well as being Chairman of West Lindsey District Council Economic Development Committee he was also Chairman of Gainsborough Regeneration.

Keith then asked Russell Wallace to make his presentation which is outlined as follows:

• Economic revival of Caistor
• Grants and funding
• Business start up loans (business loan scheme from April 2001)
• East Midlands Development Agency (special funds available for rural development)
• Caistor Hospital (possible housing development – more meetings between developers and Council – confidential prior to outcome of planning application)
• Market town revival and sources of funding
• Objective 2 (EU funding £60M for Lincs – includes Caistor area but doubt about whether small communities will remain in the programme. Detailed information will be sent out to Town Council by end November regarding funding available)
• Setting up a Business Development Trust
• Western bypass (at the present time no provision but still in local plan)

In general these are not for individual businesses, but for improving the community.

• Aid to industry (WLDC)
• Rural development grants
• Green site
• Groundwork Trust (partnership will provide £1M over 6 years)
• Challenge funds
• Countryside Agency

• Town Council
• Informal partnership
• Regeneration partnership (not recommended)
• Network of interested parties
• Development Trust (most successful – can hold assets and recycle money. Normally has company status with Directors and can access EU monies)

Russell emphasised the purpose of establishing a development trust for Caistor as two recently established trusts for Gainsborough and Market Rasen had been very successfully. Trusts provide a framework to establish objectives and a mechanism for delivering the goods. They also indicate a high degree of commitment from the local community to the external funding bodies. They are ‘not for profit’ companies which maximise the potential for the local community.

Mick King went on to give more detail on the grant situation and an explanation of the work of the Groundwork Trust. Groundwork Lincolnshire are hosting a re-launch event in Lincoln and he anticipated that £100K funding would be available for Caistor over the next 2 years, but it would begin with a consultation. All are invited to the re-launch so as to gain ideas and find out what can be done for Caistor. The date, time and place will be publicised as soon as it has been arranged, sometime before Christmas.

Keith Whaley then invited questions, brief details of which are given below:-

• Corinne Brant (Resident) asked about grants from Objective 2 which usually go to deprived areas. Are there any criteria we can use such as sparse population? MK related this to a recent experience with Ingomels and Mablethorpe.
• Dennis Corbett (Resident) asked about Caistor Hospital. Why had it been put on the agenda. In fact a meeting was due to take place shortly between the existing owners and the planning department of West Lindsey so it was nice to hear what was happening.
• Mike Stockwood (Resident) thanked Keith Whaley and the officers for coming but had expected an officer from the planning department to be present. He agreed with John Indian’s comments in the press and said that it would have been helpful if planning had been represented. RW explained that the Chief Planning Officer was leaving on Friday and he had difficulty in persuading someone to attend.
• Bob Harrison (Resident) asked how Market Rasen development Trust was made up. RW explained that the local interest groups for the swimming pool, Market Rasen challenge group, the town council and many others who had too many tasks and had been required to focus on a handful. The town council were co-ordinating the other small interest groups. KW explained that as a result of the formation of the development trust, Market Rasen obtained the SRB (Single Regeneration Budget) funding.
• Motley Brant (Resident) asked if West Lindsey District Council will present a bid for Caistor. KW said that WLDC will help.
• Len Marshall (Marmax) asked about business rates and was concerned about the high cost to the manufacturing industry. He wanted to expand his business which would result in additional employment in Caistor. RW explained that green site grants were available for retail premises. He then focussed on manufacturing and regional enterprise grants.
• (Resident) asked about weeds in South Dale, crash barrier along the A46 which was in a bad state of repair, road to the library, loose stones and WLDC services. AC indicated that all these items had been reported on numerous occasions. RW agreed to discuss these problems with LCC (Lincolnshire County Council) highways.
• Mike Stockwood (Resident) made the point that any member of the public could take part in the public participation at town council meetings.
• Motley Brant (Resident) expressed the need for help from WLDC. He also referred to a street lamp in Bank Lane which had been reported but was still not lit after 5 weeks.
• Bob Harrison (Resident) referred to gutters which needed clearing out and trees growing on top of buildings. He offered the use of his ‘Cherry Picker’ for a nominal fee of £50 and suggested that local property owners get together to share the cost.
• Harry Minns (Resident) referred to a sycamore tree growing next to the surgery building for some time and said that he had written to the council about it.
• Sue Neave (Resident) thought that there was something that could be done about ‘Buildings at Risk’. RW explained the procedure with derelict buildings – very difficult to take enforcement action. A development trust could buy the derelict properties, refurbish them and put them back in to use or resell them.
• Mike Stockwood (Resident) said it was important for people to realise that the owners of empty property had to pay 50% UBR and that insurance costs would increase and insurance companies may insist on windows being bricked up.
• Mick Cross (Resident) thought that shops should be turned in to living accommodation and gave a few examples of where that had happened. Hairdressers in South Street, WRVS and 5/5A Market Place. He stated that empty shops were not beneficial and the situation was getting worse more quickly. AC responded to the effect that we should encourage businesses to develop not the reverse.
• Paul Sandham (Resident) said that there was only one solution – Funding and that we should encourage niche business development.
• Mike Stockwood (Resident) said that we must not lose sight of the fact that existing businesses also need looking after.
• Reverend Ian Robinson (Resident) referred to the Market Rasen Development Trust and he thought that Caistor was not quite in the same position.
• Cllr Louis Strange (Kelsey Ward Member) stated that Caistor needs economic regeneration and that it should be a beautiful place. People go to Beverley because it is a nice historic place to visit; they should be able to come to Caistor instead. Need to change rules on planning and suggested an approach to Edward Leigh the M.P. to assist in that change.
• Rowley Clark (Resident & Shop Owner) stated that historically there had been too many restrictions in the Market Place and cited an example of having to fill out 15 forms before he could paint his property.
• Martin Hickling (Resident & Business Owner) thought that a certain amount of luck was required to put together a suitable body of people to form a development trust and asked who else could do that and thought that it needed to be put back. KW said that we shouldn’t miss the opportunity. There is sufficient expertise in WLDC to see this forward.
• Bob Harrison (Resident) said he was astounded that WLDC was heavily involved.
• Penny Cleave (Resident) said that she was a director of Caistor Limited and that it had failed because of outside constraints imposed by the Civic Trust and lack of support from Caistor people.
• Len Marshall (Marmax) asked about the western bypass as he thought it would be a wonderful thing with a link road from Sandbraes to the A46 which would avoid heavy traffic using the high street. RW said roads were not on the government agenda and schemes like this easily fall through the cracks but it is still shown on the local plan.
• John Muxlow (Resident) expressed the view that we should encourage tourism which in turn would encourage business. KW said that we should encourage new business and gave an example of Tesco in Gainsborough which has resulted in more people visiting the town and other businesses have flourished as a result.

Keith Whaley thanked everyone for their questions. A proposed action plan which had been prepared by the two local ward members was displayed as a ‘wish list’ (see Appendix ‘A’ attached). However he had to point out that some of the items on the list were not currently West Lindsey policy but that it was a useful working document.

He went on to say that he thought we should arrange a follow up meeting so that we can progress things further and this was arranged for Tuesday 12 ^th December, 7pm at the Arts Centre. Copies of the Gainsborough Development Trust constitution would be available at that meeting.

Mr Motley Brant thanked Keith Whaley and the members and officers of West Lindsey District Council for arranging the meeting.

1. Attract inward investment and funding from external sources.
2. Establish a business development Trust.
3. Establish a "Town Scheme" to fund and encourage repair & redecoration of market place area buildings.
4. Improve the entrances into Caistor. (They do not portray a positive welcome into the town).
5. Reduction of UBR to zero (UBR - uniform business rate) for all Caistor town centre traders. Matter for WLDC or Caistor Town Council.
6. Persuading the owners of listed and historical buildings to repair, redecorate and re-use.
7. Create / extend youth facilities for weekends and school holidays (youth club is only open 3 nights a week during term time!).
8. Use the town's history, facilities, Viking Way & Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to encourage inward investment and visitors.
9. Create a community association (a group of volunteers who care) to help manage (clean up, paint, weed and wash down) the parts of this town that are looking shabby and need some TLC (tender loving care).

  12 ^th October 2000