A couple selling their home in Crowland hope a fire damaged former school will not sink plans to move to the seaside.
The “For Sale” sign outside Jon and Marilyn Jackson’s house on the main route into the town in Postland Road went up before the weekend – in the same week as the Free Press published details of a £75,000 plan to boost tourism at the abbey.
But opposite is the ruins of a primary school, destroyed by fire in 2006 and left boarded up and shielded by polythene covered scaffolding ever since.
Jon (67) and Marilyn (66) have lived at their house for 21 years and were at home when the school caught fire.
The teenage sweethearts both went to the school and were devastated to see it burn. Marilyn said: “We both went to that school and it was lovely. I sobbed when I saw it burning. My son’s a fireman and I was making them tea.
“But we’ve had to look at it in this state since then and now it’s time something was done. It doesn’t give a very good impression of the town.”
Since retiring, Jon and Marilyn have been looking at homes in the Skegness area. Jon said: “I hope the state of the school doesn’t put buyers off. When you look out of the bedroom window it’s like war-torn Beirut.”
Kevin Kendall, chief property officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We are now reaching a stage when we hope to be making repairs to the former, fire-damaged, schoolhouse in the coming weeks.
“It is always more difficult to arrange repairs at a listed building, which, combined with the significant damage sustained, is why this process has taken this length of time. As the building is brought back to life, we’ll be making a decision on its future.”