Multi-million pound plans for medical facility on old Boston United ground approved
Multi-million pound plans to demolish the former home of Boston United FC and build an ‘urgently needed’ medical facility in its place have been approved.
Boston Borough Council has given the go-ahead to the £24.9 million project from United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (ULTH).
ULTH – which runs a number of hospitals in Lincolnshire, including the town’s Pilgrim Hospital – intends to use the vacant York Street site as a base for a Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC).
CDCs provide a wide range of diagnostic tests, such as CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasounds and x-rays.
They are separate from hospitals and can be found in a variety of settings, including shopping centres and universities.
Advantages of CDCs include shorter waiting times, a reduced risk of cancelled appointments (which can happen when more urgent cases take priority), and the easing of pressure on acute hospital sites.
In the application to the council, Bramhall Town Planning, on behalf of ULTH, state: “There is an urgent clinical need for the delivery of the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), to support the local community’s health needs. The CDC is a critical aspect of health infrastructure that shall aid and support the early diagnosis of health conditions, earlier, faster and more accurately.”
The plans were approved on Friday (January 9).
MP for Boston and Skegness Richard Tice described the decision as ‘hugely welcome news for Boston’.
“Securing planning permission for a new Community Diagnostic Centre on the former York Street stadium site is a major step forward for local healthcare and for the regeneration of our town,” he said. “This investment will mean faster access to vital scans and tests for local people, helping to diagnose illness earlier, reduce waiting times and take pressure off Pilgrim Hospital. It will also bring skilled jobs, modern infrastructure and renewed purpose to a site that holds enormous historical significance for our community.
“York Street was the spiritual home of Boston United for generations, and I am pleased that the trust and the council are committed to recognising and commemorating that proud sporting heritage as part of the redevelopment. “This is exactly the kind of practical, forward-looking investment our area needs, improving health outcomes, creating opportunity and breathing new life into a landmark site at the heart of Boston.”
Boston United vacated their long-standing home in York Street at the end of the 2019/2020, relocating to Wyberton. The venue has gone unused since 2022.
The CDC would serve about 350 patients per day and create up to 45 full-time and 10 part-time jobs, the application stated.
It would be single-storey and feature 115 car parking spaces, including 12 EV charging units, and 10 secure cycle spaces.
The hours of operation would be 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
Addressing the potential loss of a football pitch in the town, the application stated that ULTH would provide a financial contribution to enable the delivery of a replacement.
This would be off Tattershall Road and be used by Boston Town FC. The contribution would also allow for the changing rooms to be upgraded.