A district council has vowed to “take action” against its county counterparts if repairs are not carried out on a historic windmill.
In October 2023, more than £8 million in Levelling Up funding was awarded to East Lindsey District Council to safeguard three heritage locations in the Lincolnshire Wolds: Alford Windmill, Alford Manor House, and Spilsby Sessions House.
Planning permission for works at the 19th-century windmill was granted in October, with plans to create a new visitors’ centre featuring a café and shop, along with the conversion of the adjoining Miller’s Cottage into holiday accommodation and office space.
East Lindsey councillors have pointed out that these plans were developed with the restoration of the five-sail windmill in mind, an asset owned by Lincolnshire County Council (LCC).
LCC confirmed in November that its budget for the approved works was £460,000, but East Lindsey leaders have claimed that the deterioration of the mill means the projected cost of repairs is now £1.2 million.
As a result, the district council decided to pause the project and redirect the remaining Levelling Up funding to Alford Manor House. The manor was allocated £2 million in Levelling Up funding for demolishing the existing cart shed next to the coach house and replacing it with a large new function room.
This additional funding will allow for future developments, including refurbishing the Hacket Barn into a fully operational workshop.
Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Leisure and Culture, and Carbon Reduction, Cllr Graham Marsh (Conservative), noted that the Levelling Up funding needs to be spent by March 2026 and that “if we don’t get started now, we won’t hit that deadline.”
“I made the decision with officers that we should move the funding to one of the other Levelling Up projects. We believed the money should stay in Alford, so we transferred it to Alford Manor House,” he explained.
Cllr Marsh added that, in 2023, ELDC’s Heritage Officer issued a notice to LCC that the windmill needed to be restored as it was in a dangerous condition.
“They were told quite clearly that the condition of the mill was deteriorating,” he continued.
Nevertheless, he still has the ambition to deliver the windmill project in the future and called on LCC to “honour their agreement.”
“If need be, East Lindsey will take action. They know what the consequences will be.
“If they put the windmill back together and we get it to how agreed, Alford Windmill Trust are prepared to take on a lease at a commercial rate to continue the viability of the mill.”
Following a full council meeting last Friday, county councillor for Alford & Sutton, Colin Matthews (Conservative), claimed East Lindsey District Council made the “pragmatic decision” to withdraw funding from the project as the cost of delivering all three Levelling Up projects had “skyrocketed.”
“The five-sail windmill funding was for a visitor centre, for the refurbishment of the Millers House, and for the refurbishment of the outbuildings. It was in the context of there being a windmill that had five sails on it, but not absolutely dependent on there being a five-sail windmill,” he said.
However, Cllr Marsh insisted this was not the case and that the restoration of the five-sail structure was “fundamental” to the sustainability of the site.
He said: “The decision taken by full council to pause the Alford Windmill sub-project was not as a result of inflationary pressures or the rising cost of living. One of the factors the decision was made was because ELDC and LCC officers had worked incredibly hard to deliver cost plans for the structural works, but LCC doesn’t have the budget required to complete the works on their own asset.
“The windmill is the attraction on the site, and the restoration of the building back to working order would be magnificent. The bid that was submitted to Government had match funding from LCC detailed to restore the windmill back to working order and provide the main attractor for the site.”
Cllr Richard Butroid (Conservative), Executive Member for Corporate Property at LCC, added: “We are disappointed that East Lindsey District Council have withdrawn their funding for Alford Windmill and that Alford Town Council have also pulled out of the project.
“Nevertheless, the £460,000 we have allocated to the project remains committed, as does our intention to repair the building.”
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