Windmill and manor house improvements approved

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 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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