Windmill and manor house improvements approved

Plans for Alford Windmill include a new visitor centre, cafe and shop

Plans to regenerate two Lincolnshire attractions have been approved.

Alford Windmill will benefit from a new visitor centre while a new function room will be created at Alford Manor House.

The plans were approved unanimously at a council meeting on 3 October.

East Lindsey District Council said the changes would attract more visitors to the Lincolnshire Wolds.

Both projects, along with another at Spilsby Sessions House, are part of the Lincolnshire Wolds: Culture and Heritage Programme which has received £8m of government funding.

The project at Alford Windmill includes a new visitor centre incorporating a cafe and shop, refurbishment of the miller’s cottage into a two-bed holiday accommodation and refurbishment of the sail store as an educational space.

The pigsty will be converted into a children’s play area and there will be changes to the landscaping throughout the site.

The new function room at Alford Manor would provide event space for up to 100 people

The new function room at Alford Manor House will mean a temporary marquee, which has been in place since 2006, can be removed.

There will also be minor work to the car park and construction of a canopy to store large pieces of machinery for the Rural Life Museum and workshop.

Councillor Graham Marsh, the council's portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “I am delighted the council’s planning committee has supported these ambitious plans which will help secure the future for these attractions."

Construction work at both sites is expected to start in 2025.

A planning application for Spilsby Sessions House is due to be submitted later this year.

The project aims to turn the Grade II listed theatre into an "outstanding" multi-purpose arts and culture facility.

Based in a former 19th Century courthouse, it has been on the Theatres Trust's at-risk register since 2015.

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