'Problem' for city centre as historic store closes

Commercial property experts told the BBC they believed it would be difficult to find a new tenant for the House of Fraser store on Lincoln's High Street, when it closes this week.

There has been a department store on the site, which commands a prominent position in the city centre, since the early 20th Century.

In 2019, planning permission was granted to demolish the building and replace it with a 150-bed hotel, but no work was carried out and its future is now uncertain.

Staff say the shop is due to close on 23 May. Fraser Group has been approached for comment but has yet to reply.

Chartered surveyor Steven Spivey has worked in Lincoln for more than 20 years and said it was a "real problem" for the city centre to lose a big "anchor tenant" like House of Fraser.

"It leaves a big void. It's such a big building that needs to be occupied. It can't sit there doing nothing. It's too prominent for that."

However, Mr Spivey said finding a new tenant would be a "challenge".

"Retailers don't want such large buildings any more and other users want purpose-built open plan space," he said.

"This is an older building in the city centre and it's difficult to redevelop, being right beside a road."

For more than 100 years, the site on Lincoln High Street has been home to a thriving department store, initially called Mawer and Collingham.

The University of Glasgow holds a collection of documents detailing its history as part of its House of Fraser archive.

Mawer and Collingham was incorporated as a limited company in 1900.

It expanded, acquiring neighbouring properties and, by 1930, it owned the whole of the current site.

The shop gained a modern, box-like facade when it was refurbished in the 1960s.

In 1980, the company was bought by House of Fraser, trading first as Binns before adopting its current name.

The 2019 plans by the owners of the building, Halifax Pension Nominees Limited, included a four-star hotel with restaurant, bar and leisure facilities.

Kieron Manning, assistant director of planning at City of Lincoln Council, said planning permission had since lapsed.

"At this point in time, the city council has not received any new applications for the site," he said.

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