Popeyes opening soon

Where once was Ann Summers sex shop now opening soon Popeyes.

Popeyes another junk food outlet. #Lincoln #obesity

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp.bsky.social) 2025-11-22T16:01:20.662Z

Loss of retail, prime retail site, on a corner next to The Stonebow.

Does Lincoln really need yet another disgusting junk food outlet? Worse still, a US corporate chain draining money out of the local economy?

It is bad enough, side streets, further down the High Street over the level crossing, vape shops, Turkish barbers, disgusting junk food takeaways. Plus the nuisance of delivery riders. But not in the city centre.

Not the only one, top of the High Street, in the The Strait.

Lincoln is being trashed, and the City Council is enabling it, clueless on what constitutes good town centre planning, how local economies function.

Obesity crisis. Ultra-processed food is now a bigger killer than smoking. Planners could have rejected on grounds: junk food, not suitable location, loss of retail. Why did they not? Where was the planning notice in the street?

Lincoln is a food swamp: crap corporate chain eateries, disgusting junk food takeaways and binge drinking bars. And it is getting worse.

Saturday, gangs of drunken scum turn the city centre into a no-go area. A binge drinking bar opens every six months.

Two charity shops top of the High Street have closed recently. On a Saturday, they saw no customers after three. Killed by the binge drinking bars and the low life they attract,

In the last 18 months, over forty greasy spoon cafes masquerading as coffee shops have opened. Few will last more than six months.

Does no one care about the city, no one take a pride in the city?

Adding to the problems of struggling local businesses, Lincoln BIG and their BID Levy extortion racket.

• PHOTOS Popeyes opening soon

Lincoln BIG Worthless GEM Awards

It’s that time of year again, when worthless BID awards are handed out to some of worst businesses.

Bereft of any original ideas, Lincoln
BIG copied Experience Guildford business awards, right down to awarding some of the worst businesses.

A couple of years ago, one of the worst pubs won the pub category, a corporate chain serving fake Mexuxan food won the restaurant award.

Lincoln Tea & Coffee black oily over roasted coffee beans #coffee

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp.bsky.social) 2025-08-29T20:22:42.943Z

The short list this year for coffee shops…

– YOLO
– 200 Degrees
– Age UK

The first two are corporate chains, the third a national charity. All three serving very poor quality coffee.

YOLO part of Stack, disgusting junk food and bars serving poor quality drinks. The coffee poor quality catering supply coffee.

200 Degrees a regional chain of 20-30 coffee shops, owned by Caffè Nero. The coffee, poor quality Arabica from Brazil bulked out with poor quality Robusta from Vietnam.

Age UK, lunch akin to a greasy spoon cafe, coffee to match from Lincoln Tea and Coffee, the worst coffee I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter, black oily over roasted beans, including broken beans.

Not exactly showcasing the best coffee served in Lincoln. It’s embarrasing. Reputable coffee shops refuse to participate, they don’t wish their reputation to be tarnished through association with Lincoln BIG.

It gets worse . There is a scam within a scam. Coffee from 200 Degrees and Lincoln Tea and Coffee plastered with little black stickers, Great Taste Award. It’s a consumer scam. It’s paid for by the producer, no guarantee of quality.

A recent book, Enshitification of the Internet could equally apply to the damage wrought on our once proud towns and cities.

Cretins in Town Halls with no understanding of how local economies function or what constitutes good town centre planning, entice in corporate chains. The corporate chains drain money out of the local economy, create a grey drab sameness, destroy any local character, sense of place or belonging, leading to social alienation, wipe out local businesses. The corporate chains built on debt, unable to compete with Amazon then collapse leaving behind dying town centres. The final nail in the coffin, BIDs move in, parasites gorging on the rotting festering remains of the dying town centre. The worthless BID Awards are a symbol of the final decay.

Lincoln BIG trashes Lincoln farmers market

Thank you Lincoln BIG,  excellent job trashing Lincoln farmers market.

Thank you Lincoln BIG excellent job trashing Lincoln farmers market. #Lincoln pic.twitter.com/6poHe7EnJE

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 19, 2025

Thank you Lincoln BIG excellent job trashing Lincoln farmers market. #Lincoln

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp.bsky.social) 2025-07-19T23:18:59.848Z

Lincoln farmers market takes place on Castle Hill the third Saturday of the month. Everyone knows, apart from Lincoln BIG.

Did Lincoln BIG not know the farmers market takes place in the square? Or do they not care?

Lincoln BIG chose to hold a 1940s weekend the same weekend. They could have held any weekend, but chose the weekend of the farmers market. Worse, the farmers market were kicked out of their usual location in the square.

The farmers market was kicked out to a car park, where no one knew where it was.

Any one passing by would have assumed the market had been cancelled. As it had been cancelled the previous month.

Usually by early afternoon, the market is sold out. By mid-afternoon the stalls were groaning with unsold produce. 

Lincoln BIG 1940s weekend  a pathetic copy of highly successful 1940s weekend run by volunteers in Woodhall Spa.

Lincoln BIG could not organise a piss up in a brewery. Lincoln Castle was deserted .

In the Castle square a handful of stalls selling tat. Why were they there? More than sufficient space for the market stalls.

Heavy rain. It flowed off the square, flooding the car park.

Enough is enough.

• an unreserved public apology from Lincoln BIG
• compensation of stall holders for loss of trade
• board of Lincoln BIG to resign
• Lincoln City Council wind up Lincoln BIG