Waterside set for £1m regeneration

Wykeland Group and Lincolnshire Co-op have set out plans to invest £1m in the regeneration of the Waterside centre in Lincoln.Commercial development and investment business Wykeland and Lincolnshire Co-op acquired Waterside in a 50/50 partnership last June.The £1m-plus investment includes a new coffee shop, which will be located in the heart of the centre.The outlet will be operated by Lincolnshire-based Seven Districts Coffee, which owns coffee shops in the Lincolnshire villages of Welton and Nettleham, and the CASK Kitchen restaurant in Lincoln.The works are expected to be completed by mid-May, with the new coffee shop opening shortly after.Other changes at Waterside include the creation of a more attractive and welcoming frontage to the centre from High Street, and along the picturesque River Witham.Two units on High Street have been acquired to form part of the centre, enabling improvement works to the frontage of the centre to take place.Contracts are also being concluded for a national retailer to occupy one of the units.David Donkin, property director at Hull-based Wykeland, said: “Less than a year after acquiring Waterside with our partners Lincolnshire Co-op, we’re delighted to announce this significant investment into the centre.”It’s a very strong statement of our confidence in Waterside as an important part of Lincoln city centre.”We’ve been having some exciting discussions with both existing and new tenants, as we look to enhance Waterside’s offer to local people and visitors to Lincoln. We see a very bright future for Waterside and the businesses within it.”Kevin Kendall, Lincolnshire Co-op’s head of property, added: “With our partners Wykeland, we have been working to revitalise the Waterside to make it even more of a key destination for visitors to the city centre.”We’re excited to be bringing in Seven Districts, which we are sure will be valued by shoppers, and believe that our plans for the façade will make that part of the centre more open and attractive, contributing positively to the High Street and waterside street scene environment.”Waterside comprises of 130,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, and is home to retailers including H&M, Next, New Look, Superdrug, O2, Office and Skechers.