This birthday is nothing to celebrate

It's forty years ago this year that Boston 's Conservation Area was designated, and according to English Heritage, the town is one of the most important in England in terms of its historic environment. That said, you would have to look hard to find much that reflects this importance in the overall look of the town's main areas.
English Heritage recently conducted a national survey of conservation areas, which Boston Borough Council couldn't be bothered to fill it in.
But that hasn't stopped the organisation declaring Boston to be at risk from a variety of threats.
It says: "Lincolnshire has suffered agricultural decline which has had a huge effect on the management and upkeep of the historic environment. Many of the town’s commercial and residential buildings are in need of repair, and there are several sites that remain undeveloped. Proposals for a large new development in the centre are welcomed locally, but the scale of them would harm the character of the area and the historic setting of 'The Stump'."
What, if anything, is being done to save it? By the council? By the residents?"
In 2004, the Heritage Lottery Fund granted the council a Townscape Heritage Initiative worth up to £860,000, but it was withdrawn in 2008 as it was unable to be delivered.
Looking back, this seems to be because the council decided to throw all the money at the High Street/London Road area, and when there was little enthusiasm for their ideas, and plan was kicked into touch.
How surprising - Boston Borough Council missing out on an opportunity. History repeats itself.
English Heritage says it is engaged in ongoing discussions with the borough council to develop a strategy for the town.
With the customary flair for noting only the good things in any report and dismissing the rest, our cabinet member for cultural services, Councillor Richard Dungworth, is quoted as saying: "I welcome this report which highlights our great town as one of the most important towns in England for our historic environment.
"We want to work closely with English Heritage to develop a strategy for Boston that will preserve our special environment while balancing the need to generate jobs and investment for the people of the area.
"A range of plans and studies have already been completed and we are working with Lincolnshire County Council at the moment to develop and implement specific proposals for Market Place.
"English Heritage's reference to a 'large new development', refers to the proposed West Street, retail scheme which has stalled due to the recession. It is disappointing that English Heritage is thinking that the scheme would harm the character of the area when the design details had not by any means been finalised and when we were still agreeing principles.
"We had also been working closely with English Heritage from the outset to develop the project and which if it could it be delivered would fantastically support and promote Boston, both in retail and heritage terms.
"Given English Heritage's huge interest in the time we will be speaking with them further to identify exactly how they can assist us to improve our conservation areas."
We thought that the Market Place has already been given a makeover, with the ridiculous bubble of paving slabs that bulges out near Boots, and which was primarily designed to make life easier for the sainted Into Town bus service.
In our view to say that Merchants Quay would not have had a detrimental effect on the area around the Stump is a load of old dungworth, as it could not have failed to have other than an adverse impact. To say that principles were still being agreed seems contradictory in light of the detailed architects' impressions that have been in display.
We go back to what we said a few blogs ago.
It is really high time that the great and the good of Boston accepted that the town is low on the development pecking order, and planned accordingly.
That is not to deny that we have a lot to offer.
What we should be doing is pressurising the national owners of some premises (Carphone Warehouse and Thornton's spring to mind) and encouraging them to keep their shopfronts well decorated and maintained.
We should make sure that Strait Bargate has the look and feel of an attractive shopping street, and see that future developments do not detract still further from the town's historic ambience - who can claim that the Pescod Square development harmonises in any way with a medieval market town?
And yes ... we should ban those noisy, smelly buses from destroying what was once a pleasurable shopping experience.

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