Outdoor chain to open in former department store

A large empty building on a high street. The windows are reflective and a large piece of cardboard is covering what used to be the front doors, now with green graffiti on it. A few people can be seen walking past the building.Image source, Local Democracy Reporting Service
Image caption,

The former House of Fraser building has stood empty since May

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Outdoor clothing retailer Mountain Warehouse is to open a store in the former House of Fraser building on Lincoln's High Street.

The building has stood empty since May.

Previous plans in 2019 to demolish the site into a 150-bed hotel fell through as the pandemic made construction more costly.

Work has already started to convert the store with a fresh coat of dark green paint matching the new retailer's colour scheme.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a planning application has been submitted to knock down derelict buildings and sheds at the back of the main structure.

The application from Highneal Limited would allow for the redevelopment of the site and create more staff parking, the planning document states.

For more than 100 years, the site was home to a department store, initially called Mawer and Collingham.

Mountain Warehouse also has a branch in Cornhill Quarter and no date has been given for the new store's opening.

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