CORN EXCHANGE SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD

Award-winning Lincoln chartered surveyor Banks Long & Co is hoping for further success in a top regional competition.

The firm’s staff have their fingers-crossed for more good news after hearing that its entry in the Building Conservation category of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) East Midands’ Awards has been shortlisted.

Banks Long & Co is hoping its submission, which centres on the stunning revamp of Lincoln’s Corn Exchange – which has cost nearly £3 million – will impress even more judges, after it scooped the Heritage Category Award in the recent Greater Lincolnshire Construction & Property Awards.

Competition judges will be visiting Lincoln on March 6 to find out more about why this project is so special, with award winners being announced at a celebratory dinner at the Notts Belfry on May 3.

Once again, Banks Long & Co’s joint entry, reflects the firm’s success in working with its client Lincolnshire Co-op (owner of the Corn Exchange) and construction firm Lindum, which has carried out the sympathetic revamp of the historic Grade II-listed building.

Banks Long & Co Managing Director Tim Bradford said: “It was a real thrill when the Corn Exchange, which forms an eyecatching focal point in the continuing phased £70 million regeneration of the city’s Cornhill Quarter, won an award earlier this month.

“Space in the Corn Exchange has already attracted a mix of impressive tenants, including Moss Bros, Flying Tiger Copenhagen and Thomas Cook. They have been joined by the restaurant chain The Cosy Club, which opened last week in the upper floor of the building. Feedback to date has been incredibly supportive, with people telling us how amazing it looks.”

The Corn Exchange project, has been complemented by the completion of the City of Lincoln Council’s £30m Transport Hub, which features a new 1,000-space car park, a state-of-the-art bus station, a pedestrian plaza and the upgrading of the city’s railway forecourt.

Mr Bradford said Banks Long & Co is delighted to be acting as development consultant, project manager and letting agent on the extensive Cornhill Quarter project and he added that there are more exciting developments underway.

“Phase two of the Cornhill Quarter project will see the creation of further retail and restaurant space. Excitingly, Everyman Cinema has also committed to bring its name to the city,” he said.

Banks Long & Co works within the national property market, concentrating primarily on the East Midlands region.

The business has flourished through recommendation and the energy, enthusiasm and professionalism of its staff and remains keen to identify new opportunities within evolving markets.

Clients include local, regional and national companies, institutions and public authorities, all of which continue to support the business, recognising the value and expertise it continuously delivers.