Work starts on redevelopment of former Lincoln Golden Cross pub into supporting living flats

Work has started to create a new building of supported housing flats on the site of the former Golden Cross Pub in Lincoln. A total of 15 flats will be created on the High Street in Lincoln, which will be Framework's fifth major investment in the city.

The charity works hard to address the shortage of accommodation for homeless people and creates purpose-built premises to help meet these needs. The city centre pub closed in 2020 and was recently demolished to make way for the Gelder Group to begin working on the £1.5m project.

Each of the flats will meet the Secured by Design accreditation, which is a police-preferred specification to help deter and reduce crime. The Young People’s Learning Provision is also allowing the group to park site traffic on their land to avoid additional traffic from being on the road and causing congestion.

Framework Director of Corporate Services, Dave Newmarch said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to help address the shortage of accommodation for homeless people in Lincoln with these purpose-built premises providing 15 self-contained, one-bed units for single homeless people. Framework is a registered charity and a registered provider of social housing and we have been providing services for homeless and vulnerable people in Lincolnshire since 2011.

"This new housing on the High Street will be our fifth major capital investment in Lincoln to provide good quality, purpose-built accommodation for people in need. It brings our total investment in the city to more than £9.6m and enables us to provide accommodation for more than 100 homeless people at any one time."

He continued: "With support from the City of Lincoln Council, the £2.65m project has been funded under the government's Single Homeless Accommodation Programme which provides homes and crucial support for people with high and enduring support needs, including rough sleepers. The government grant of £1.7m has been supplemented by a contribution from Framework itself worth £850,000.

"We are delighted to be working with the excellent Gelder Group, keeping the work in Lincolnshire and ensuring that the project is delivered to the high standards we wish to provide for the people we support." Gelder Group Chief Executive Officer Steve Gelder added: “We are delighted to be working on this project for several reasons.

"Obviously, winning this work was great news for team Gelder. It is also special to be transforming a site which, historically, had connections with Lincoln City Football Club. Being so close to City’s Sincil Bank ground, it was a natural watering hole for Red Imps’ fans.

"On a more serious note, we have also long admired the amazing work done by Framework, in supporting people who are homeless or at risk of being so. Also, it doesn’t stop there, because it also supports its “clients” with their health, social care and employment needs.”

The flats will be occupied from spring 2025 and residents will receive dedicated support from staff. These staff members will be on site 24/7 and will help address the issues that contributed to residents becoming homeless.