Commercial development

THE SOUTHFIELD BUSINESS PARK

One of the biggest commercial disappointments for Bourne in the late 20th century was the failure of a proposed £10 million business and commercial park to the south of the town.

A site covering seventeen acres of land alongside the A15 trunk road and next to Bourne Hospital was earmarked for a mixed-use business area that was to include a restaurant, hotel, petrol filling station, public house and fast food outlet. They would be accessed by a new estate road and roundabout and the remainder of the land developed for a range of uses including offices, light industrial units and warehousing.

The project was welcomed by the town council and Councillor Don Fisher said: "There is very little opposition to the scheme. The town is growing and there is not much we can do about it. If Bourne is to get bigger, we need more industry and so a scheme such as this will be necessary."

Tesco's, the supermarket chain, had already shown an interest in part of the site for a new out of town supermarket but their application for planning permission in 1996 was refused because the proposed food store was outside the recognised town centre and would jeopardise the viability and vitality of existing shops in Bourne. Traders however were more receptive to the new commercial development in the hope that it would boost their own businesses. 

The announcement of the scheme, known as the Southfield Business Park, was made in December 1998 amid much euphoria about the expectation that it would create hundreds of new jobs, attract fresh inward investment opportunities and provide scope for locally based firms to expand and the scheme was eventually granted planning permission by South Kesteven District Council.

The council's economic development officer, Ian Crowther said it was an exciting project that would strengthen South Kesteven's strategic position by attracting new and inward investment opportunities and providing opportunities for locally-based firms to expand and progress."

The proposed business park was a joint project between Clugston Developments of Scunthorpe and the owners of the land, J Pao and Co Ltd., but it faltered because of insufficient commercial interest. Clugston's managing director Bill Dixon, said: "We have not had any serious interest in the site and time has run out for us. It is very disappointing because a lot of hard work has been put into the scheme. It is very difficult to introduce a site such as this in a rural area. In the leisure market, pubs, restaurants and other businesses look to set up in towns and city centres rather than rural areas."

Andrew Pao, a partner in J Pao and Co Ltd, expressed the hope that the site might still be used for light industry in the future. "We have had a disappointing response", he said. "The local market in Bourne is very strong but national chains do not appreciate that it is such a vibrant area."

There was also disappointment from the Bourne Town Council. The mayor, Councillor John Kirkman, said that the developers had also been planning to straighten the A15 at this point to make it safer and to provide a proper access to the ambulance station that is sited at the old hospital complex. Fellow councillor Alan Jones added: "We need development of some kind on the periphery of Bourne but it has to be suitable for the town and we need further light industry to create employment."

The developers finally pulled out in May 2001 and since then there have been reports and rumours about various uses while much of the original land in the vicinity has been chipped away for housing. The remaining 4.2 acre site was subsequently offered for sale for commercial development and in August 2008 it was announced by South Kesteven District Council that they were in negotiation with Marston’s plc, one of the country’s leading companies which owns four breweries and controls some 2,272 pubs, to build a petrol filling station for the town together with a family pub and restaurant on the land.

The filling station is badly needed because petrol outlets in the town have been reduced to just one following the opening of the Tesco Esso garage in North Street in August 2002, resulting in the closure of the two other filling stations which could not compete in the subsequent price war. The council said that there had not yet been a formal agreement with the company and in October the following year, it was announced that Marston's plc had withdrawn from the scheme.

News report from The Local newspaper Friday 16th October 2009

In February 2011, the 4.2 acre site was finally bought for £500,000 by the Lindum Group of North Hykeham and Castle Square Developments of Lincoln who told The Local newspaper later that year (December 23rd) that they hoped to submit a planning application for a new petrol station in the coming year. The newspaper also reported that a public house and restaurant was likely to be built next door by Marston's plc who were apparently back in the reckoning. Peter Harvey, development surveyor for the Lindum Group, said: "We want to show our commitment to delivering that facility. We have already had a meeting with the town council and a second petrol station is something that everyone in Bourne is keen to see."

REVISED JUNE 2012

See also The A15 pub and restaurant development

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