Go-ahead for plans to help restore fortunes of 'at-risk' historic building in Boston

Shodfriars Hall, as it looks from South Street.

The proposals concern Shodfriars Hall, a Grade II* listed building in South Street. Heritage England defines Grade II* buildings as ‘particularly important buildings of more than special interest’.

This property – which has a history dating back to around 1400 – is currently included on Heritage England’s Heritage at Risk Register.

Last year, after coming under ownership of Alistair Arundell, of Smart Move Landbank Limited, plans were submitted to the borough council to improve its lot.

Agents Gillick Brothers wrote: “Shodfriars Hall is old, cold, in a poor state of repair at best, and badly dilapidated at worst. As a result of this, the historically sensitive nature of the building, and the necessary difficulty associated with its repair and refurbishment, most of Shodfriars Hall is unusable for any beneficial purpose and so has remained unoccupied and unused for many years, some parts of it have not been used for decades.”

Permission was requested for the removal and addition of partitions and fittings, the installation of boilers and heating systems, and other minor finishes. These would help realise the short-term goal – creating space for start-up and expanding local businesses to cover the site’s running costs. The long-term goal, meanwhile, would be to restore the building and return its use as an entertainment venue (it has previously been home to a nightclub, but also a number of other enterprises including an ice cream parlour).

Now, the council has given the go-ahead to the proposals.

It comes after the initial submission was revised in light of concerns from Heritage Lincolnshire. In the end, out of 25 alterations proposed, Heritage Lincolnshire said 17 were ‘neutral or positive’, six were ‘acceptable’, and two would cause ‘less than substantial harm’ (the installation of a partition wall and the installation of new boiler flues).

In concluding his report and awarding listed building consent, planning officer Simon Eldred wrote that ‘whilst some of the proposed works will have harmful impacts upon the special interest of Shodfriars Hall, these impacts will be ‘less than substantial’ and will be outweighed by the benefits they will provide by securing the building’s on-going use’.