Lincoln’s St Marks Shopping Centre selected for “major” leisure outlet, creating 160 jobs

Lincoln’s former Argos store at St Marks Shopping Centre is to get a new lease of life, thanks to an “ambitious” new scheme which will see the creation of a food, drink and entertainment complex.

The City of Lincoln Council has given the green light to the proposal to transform the site into STACK Lincoln, which will include five bars, ten street food outlets, a large coffee shop, roof terrace as well as a central plaza area with a balcony.

The development, which will create 160 jobs, will also have a stage for live performances and a large outdoor terrace on the first floor, with plans for the work to start next week with a view to be completed by late spring 2023.

The scheme is being developed by North East company Danieli Group, which has run two “highly successful” container villages under the STACK brand in Newcastle and Sunderland. And the aim now is to replicate the success of the North East venues, which have a multi-million pound turnover and have been visited millions of times, in Lincoln.

The historic site was initially St Marks Church before becoming a railway station and more recently, St Marks Shopping Centre which housed the Argos store until it closed in 2020. The ambitious new venture will see the building transformed into a 2000 capacity venue which should bring in visitors from the local area and beyond.

Neill Winch, CEO of Danieli Group, believes the plans will bring a real boost to the area. He commented: “STACK Sunderland and STACK Newcastle have been incredibly popular and successful. It’s a much loved brand which provides a great experience for visitors of all ages.

“We have huge plans to roll out the STACK brand nationally and are delighted to have Lincoln as our first site outside of the North East and to be able to breathe new life into this amazing building.”

Valerie Johnson, centre manager at St Marks Shopping Centre, added: “We are incredibly excited to welcome STACK to St Marks. This is a fantastic addition to the scheme and the old train station provides a unique backdrop to this exciting concept. We believe STACK will be incredibly popular with the people of Lincoln.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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