Boston Borough council
Key Competitive Attractions
Boston is an historic market town and a sub regional centre, serving east and south Lincolnshire with a thriving town centre based on national and independent retailers. Situated on the river Witham, 5 miles inland from The Wash, it has the largest East Midlands port, serving mainly North Sea destinations handling agricultural produce such as cereal, wood and pulp, steel imports etc. These activities support many local companies such as Finn Forest, Howard Tenens and Calders & Grandidge.
Agriculture and the food processing industry are important elements of the local economy. Due to Boston`s strategic position on the east coast, it also has strong car retail, trade counter and service industry sectors, as well as engineering and companies involved in ICT, such as Dynamic Cassettes International and Magna Data.
The area is an attractive place to live with open countryside, access to the coast, important wildlife areas such as The Wash, and the RSPB reserves at Frampton and Freiston. Boston also has excellent sporting facilities, schools and further education facilities, such as Boston College.
Assistance and Support For New Business Investors
The council`s economic development team are here to support local businesses, provide assistance for inward investors and to help businesses access any applicable grants.
Helping the area to prosper has been - and remains - a key strategy. The council has developed the Boston Enterprise Centre to offer managed office space for new and developing enterprises. The town also benefits from other office developments, such as the Boston Business Centre and Morgan House, as well as more traditional office accommodation, which is widely available.
Through working in partnership with both private sector and public stakeholders, Boston has been able to develop Endeavour Business Park with Broadgate Commercial as the only purpose built office development area in Lincolnshire, and Kirton Warehouse and Distribution Park with Lincolnshire County Council. Both locations offer serviced land.
Existing Business Base
The area benefits from a strong retail position. The town centre introduced a Business Improvement District, which has improved the retail performance of the town. Pescod Square Shopping was a £28m scheme in the heart of the town which has increased footfall, and recent schemes such as Boston Shopping Park and regeneration around Pump Square have added to the range of the retail offer.
During the summer, the east coast in a holiday destination and Boston is able to attract tourists with its historic attractions, such as St Botholph`s church, the second oldest Guildhall Hall in the country, and many other fine buildings. The town has the largest outdoor market in Lincolnshire with markets held on Wednesdays and Saturday. During the summer it is not unknown for over 25 coach parties to arrive in town on a Wednesday!
Agriculture and food processing is a natural strength of the local economy with its highly productive land. However, as a sub regional centre, the town has a strong public sector employment through the Pilgrim Hospital, education and the county council, providing a very solid economic base.
