Decision

Decision to award £175,000.00 to Blackfriars Arts Centre from two different schemes under the Boston Pride in Place Impact Funding from Central Government.

Blackfriars Arts Centre Limited - Cheers Building
Total award: £175,000.00, comprising:

• £75,000.00 awarded from the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund Community Grant Scheme.

• £100,000.00 awarded from the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund Town Centre Allocation.


Blackfriars Arts Centre Limited is seeking support to acquire the Cheers Building on Spain Lane, Boston, to create a prominent cultural hub and gateway to the town's Cultural Quarter. The project will bring a vacant Grade II listed building into active use, providing a visible public-facing presence for Blackfriars Arts Centre, alongside space for community arts activities, a café/bar and temporary museum exhibitions. Ownership of the building will enable the organisation to secure further external investment, support the delivery of events linked to the Boston 2030/400 celebrations, and contribute to wider town centre regeneration through increased visitor numbers, community engagement, and improved use of cultural assets within Boston town centre.

Reasons for the decision

This grant award has been approved by exception under delegated authority, in consultation with the Leader of the Council. The award comprises of £75,000.00 from the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund Community Grant Scheme and £100,000.00 from the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund Town Centre Allocation. The total award of £175,000.00 will be deducted from the overall Pride in Place Impact Fund budget. These allocations reflect the project's contribution to both community and town centre regeneration objectives.


In line with the objectives of the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund, this decision supports our commitment to delivering visible, lasting improvements that strengthen local communities and enhance pride in place across Boston Borough. The Fund has been established to support projects that create high-quality, practical improvements to local places and community assets, enabling residents to take greater pride in where they live.

The decision takes account of the lower than anticipated allocation awarded through Round 1 of the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund Grant Scheme and the associated risk of retention or clawback from Boston Borough at Programme-end. Approval of this award will reduce the amount of funding requiring allocation and expenditure within the remaining programme timeframe, whilst securing delivery of a project capable of generating lasting cultural, community and economic benefits for Boston town centre.

Alternative options considered

Consideration was given to not award funding to the project, awarding a lower level of funding, or using the remaining funding for a further grant round. These options were discounted as the project strongly supports the aims of the Boston Pride in Place programme and offers an opportunity to bring a vacant Grade II listed building back into use for the benefit of the community, while supporting cultural activity and town centre regeneration. There was a rapid route to funding this project, using both an application to the Pride in Place Impact Fund and a prior application submitted to the Boston Pride in Place Programme.

A lower award could have affected the organisation's ability to complete the purchase of the building, while launching a further grant round would have created additional challenges in allocating, approving and delivering funding within the remaining programme timescales.

Given the lower than anticipated Round 1 allocation awarded to the Boston Pride in Place Impact Fund and the limited time remaining to commit and spend funding, the recommended award provides a practical way of reducing the amount of funding still requiring allocation while supporting the delivery of a project that will provide long-term benefits to Boston.