North Kesteven District Council used the Pagabo framework to appoint Lindum to carry out a major refurbishment of the National Centre for Craft and Design.

We worked closely with NKDC and Sleaford Town Council to remodel the building to create a modern, accessible, fit for purpose facility which included the design and construction of a single storey ground floor extension of 200sqm.

The £1.2m refurbishment created a ground floor gallery, performing arts and workshop spaces, an extended CaféBar with doors opening on to an al fresco terrace seating area overlooking the River Slea, retail space selling a larger collection of handmade craft products and gifts.

The venue continues to support local artists while offering flexible space to meet the needs of the wider community and includes provision for children, meetings and events. It also has office space which is now home to a local software company which relocated there, retaining employment in the town.

The scheme was a real Lindum team effort, as we used our own builders, joiners and managers on the project and well as equipment from Lindum Plant. Waste from the site was handled by our recycling division at Saxilby and our roofing and cladding experts from KGM installed the roof decking and roof coverings.

More than 80 per cent of the people who worked on the project lived within 20 miles from site – meaning the council’s investment continues to circulate within the local area.

Following the transformation, the newly named ‘hub’ opened its doors to the public in May 2021 and was awarded ‘Best Project Under £5m’ at the Pagabo Awards (February 2022).