Sleaford hotel bought by North Kesteven District Council
It's thought it will cost them 1.5 million pounds
A hotel in Sleaford has been bought by North Kesteven District council for around one and a half million pounds .
The Carre arms next to the railway station has been run by the same family for 2 decades who are now retiring.
The council says it's a key infrastructure asset and the move will protect jobs and secure the site's future.
Councillors voted in favour of acquiring The Carre Arms at Full Council on February 29, in an agenda item that was unnamed and excluded both the public and the press.
Councillors agreed there were significant benefits to investing
NKDC has since confirmed that this was voted for unanimously across all political parties, with no attending councillors objecting to the deal.
The figure paid by the council of around £1.5 million is based on factoring in all additional associated fees, courtesy of the public coffers.
Councillors at the meeting agreed that there were “significant benefits” to investing.
The council’s chief executive Ian Fytche said it was too good an opportunity to miss, as the authority looks to bolster the local visitor economy.
“For more than 12 years we have recognised the need for expanded hotel provision in order to meet existing and growing demand for business and visitor accommodation, but that is something that the private sector has not been able to provide,” he said.
Customers will see no immediate difference
“That reality, allied with the broader aspirations of the Sleaford Masterplan and the council’s wider strategic interests in redevelopment opportunities in the immediate area of the Carre Arms, have led to the council taking this proactive intervention.
“It is an action entirely consistent with legal and financial frameworks and will ultimately support the council in both delivering on its objectives and maintaining its own ongoing viability, just as its established Lafford Homes housing company does.”
Mr Fytche added: “Customers of the Carre Arms will see no immediate difference, as there is no change to the operations of the hotel or the circumstances of the employees.
“Along with the retiring owners, who have run a successful business for more than 20 years, we thank them for their goodwill, both now and over the years in providing a much-needed multipurpose venue in the heart of Sleaford.”
North Kesteven District Council view this acquisition as a significant milestone as part of its wider Sleaford Masterplan and regeneration of the town centre, which includes potential pedestrianisation of the Market Place and improvement works to the Handley Monument.