Work is about to begin on a major retail development in the centre of a Lincolnshire market town.

Developers and Boston Borough Council hope the �22m Pescod Square centre will give a huge boost to the area's economy.

The scheme has the support of local businesses which hope to benefit from more people visiting the town.

The complex is scheduled to be fully open by 2004.

Architect's drawing

Pescod Square shopping centre will have 20 new shops, a new road and parking for 400 cars.

Work has already started on extending a department store and more bulldozers are due to move in later in the year.

Around 70 % of the development has already been let and it is estimated it will create about 400 jobs.

Mayor, Councillor Joan Ashton added: "Our investment of just over �1m will help bring forward �21m of private sector investment for Boston which will ensure continuing prosperity for Boston retailers."

Developers, Centros Miller, found their plans to relocate the GPO sorting office were too expensive and they put forward an alternative scheme.

Captive market

However the council felt the original scheme was by far the best long-term solution and agreed to bridge the difference between the two costs to a maximum of �1.3m.

Tony Williams from Centros Miller said: "This town is rather special, it has something of a captive market.

"It's quite a long way to other centres and increasing the retail provision will help attract more people to shop here."