Only ten years left before Fuller Street footbridge falls down, claims councillor

 

The footbridge is said to be little used, especially after dark, except by foreshore dog-walkers. However, it is sometimes helpful to the police for crowd control when they are ushering away fans from Grimsby Town matches to Cleethorpes railway station.  

AN uncertain future beckons for the Fuller Street footbridge in Cleethorpes.

At a North East Lincolnshire Council meeting this week, Cllr Ron Shepherd, told colleagues: "It is  in a poor state - it has only ten years left before it falls down."

In February last year, a 15-year-old boy was questioned after a woman claimed she had been raped at the site of the bridge.

It is understood, there was no subsequent prosecution, but media coverage of the allegation prompted calls by Cleethorpes and Grimsby MP Melanie Onn and others for installation of floodlighting and CCTV.

However, following research on prospective costs, this will not happen.

The council has taken the view that it would be money squandered because crime statistics for the bridge are very low and, in any case, it is seldom used because, on its estuary side, access to the walkway is extremely difficult.

Continued Cllr Shepherd: "I am 6ft 2in, and I found it a challenge because access to the walkway is blocked by a wall.

"Particularly after dark, there is also a risk of trips and falls - and the ground sometime resembles a dog loo."

Instead of incurring expense on lighting and CCTV, the council is thus likely to install "advisory" signage, recommending  that those seeking to cross the railway track should use the purpose-built Suggits Lane, 560 metres away.

This structure is both illuminated after dark and monitored by CCTV.

* A  survey by Equans in April, 2024, noted that the bridge  is "not showing signs of stress, nor fractures, and is in fair condition though there is  surface rusting and moderate pitting due to its location and age". Any remedial work - at an estimated cost of £40,000 - would be centred around removing the paintwork, blast-cleaning  all rust and providing a suitable coating to all areas.

NELC faces £10,000 bill after arsonists strike at two Grimsby park play areas

 

North East Lincolnshire councillor Ron Shepherd at Quantock Park where a swing was damaged

TWO Grimsby have been damaged by flames after wheelie bins were set alight.  

At Barretts Rec, on Scartho Road, flames from three bins caused damage to the Tarmac near the swings and scorched part of an adjacent hedge.

At Quantock Park, in Scartho, a basket swing was destroyed after a bin was placed underneath it was ignited.

It is thought repairs will cost about £10,000.

Anyone with information is urged to phone  Humberside Police at  101 quoting the crime reference number 26000023827 for Barretts Rec and 26000004863 for Quantock Park.

Council mulls whether to designate two 'under-the-radar' locations as Local Wildlife Sites

A designation as official Local Wildlife Sites could be in prospect for these two locations -  bat-friendly Ainslie Park (above)  in Grimsby and a wildflower-rich patch of grassland (below) off Kings Road in Cleethorpes.  Both sites are regularly surveyed by North East Lincolnshire Council's ecology unit and volunteer naturalists.    

                                                            

       

Another week, another new housing estate application - this time for 250 homes on outskirts of Scartho

Artist's impression of how the development (which includes a 'woodland fringe') might look

A FIELD on the southern edge of Scartho has been earmarked for a new housing estate.

A consortium of builders - Humberside Land Developers - has applied to build up to 250 homes on 13.6-hectares of arable farmland off Louth Road with proposed access via Side Lane which is currently just a gravel path.

Surely, this will lead to loss of precious wildlife?

Not so, says Kevin Johnson, the ecologist commissioned by the applicants to carry out an onsite survey?

In a report, he says no evidence was found of nestings birds, nor amphibians, nor reptiles.

What about mammals such a foxes, deer, badgers, water voles, hares or rabbits?

Again, nothing at all apart from one wood mouse -  which was dead.

Nearby residents are being invited to comment on the proposal in advance of the proposal being determined by North East Lincolnshire Council.                                                  

Up to 350 homes could be built on field if NELC grants planning consent

                                                         

How safe is Fuller Street footbridge in Cleethorpes - and has time come for its removal?

                                              

The footbridge enables pedestrians to cross from Fuller Street to the Humber North Wall

OUGHT North East Lincolnshire Council to be doing more to make the Fuller Street bridge and North Wall area in Cleethorpes safer?

Yes, according to Independent councillors Steve Holland and Paul Henderson who are pressing for release of 

* Updated crime data

* Evidence of community consultation

* Input of police intelligence

There is a proposal for signage to  be installed warning people not to cross at night and to use alternative routes, but the two councillors believe this is insufficient.

They are also calling for  more steps to "safeguard people using the bridge, beyond advising them not to use it as it is dangerous".

They add: "There needs to  a robust plan to avoid the area becoming a no-go part of Cleethorpes."

At a communities scrutiny panel meeting on Thursday afternoon, it is possible that Cllr Henderson will expand further.

Meanwhile, another more controversial option is doing the rounds - that of removing the bridge which is believed to have been installed in 1975.

A report compiled by a NELC officer states: "As it is not a recognised Public Right of Way or Highway Structure, restrictions do not apply - only any historical legal agreement that may exist between the council and Network Rail. 

"Of note is  the close proximity of the new Suggitts Lane footbridge which could be used by the public as an alternative access to the sea wall area should this option be progressed."

                                        

Councillors likely to approve continued spraying of controversial chemical on inconvenient plantlife

Let's get spraying - an NELC operative sets off on his rounds

IT looks like North East Council will continue to use a controversial poison to 'treat' roads, paths and green spaces during the rest of  this year.

But in doing so, will the authority be putting at risk the health of residents, their pets and wildlife  - and itself at risk of litigation?

At this  week’s meeting of NELC’s communities scrutiny panel, members will be asked to give the nod to continued use of Glyphosate - better known as Roundup - despite concerns that it may be a causative of the disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Last week, its manufacturer, Monsanto/Bayer, again insisted that there was no proof of a link but still agreed to set aside a staggering £5.35-billion to placate litigants (past, present and future) in the United States.

Glyphosate is currently deemed safe by British and European authorities but only to the end of this year pending the outcome of an ongoing review.

There have been calls locally for restrictions on its use, especially in parks, nature reserves and on highway verges.

In a report to meeting, NELC's assistant director of the environment, Kath Jickells, acknowledges that some residents are "passionate" about  reducing glyphosate-use.

She also notes that children are "especially concerned about our environment, and it is essential to engage with them on environmental matters".   

However, she believes continued poisoning  of wild flowers - commonly known as  'weeds' - is essential for the following reasons: 

• Appearance - 'weeds' can detract from the overall appearance of an area.  

• Safety - 'weed' growth can interfere with visibility for road users and obscure traffic. 

• Drainage - 'weeds' in kerbs or around drains can prevent or slow down surface water drainage.  

• Damage - 'weed' growth can affect paved surfaces and force kerbs apart, increasing maintenance costs and impacting on pedestrian safety. 

With up to three applications per annum, the council treats approximately 1200km of the highway network  and numerous public open spaces including its nature reserves. 

The communities scrutiny panel meeting is due to be held this Thursday afternoon in Grimsby Town Hall.

The Grimsby News says:  NELC is too relaxed - not to say casual - in its continued use of a chemical, the whole purpose of which is to be poisonous. The authority acknowledges the risk by requiring those of its operatives who apply it to safeguard  themselves with protective clothing and with face masks. However, these employees go about their business in places where members of the public are unprotected and probably mostly unaware of the extent to which their wellbeing is being compromised. Far better to be safe than sorry. NELC should pause its use of glyphosate at least until the outcome of a wide-ranging and soon-to-be-published review of its impact on humans, pets and wildlife. Failing that, the council should, at the very least, publish public notices indicating when individual roads, paths and parks  are to be sprayed  so that concerned residents are made aware of when they need to make themselves scarce.                                        

Mindful of his own personal safety, the operative is fully protected - not so any individuals unfortunate enough to be nearby

                                                 

Makeover could be on the cards for empty office block in Grimsby's Top Town

                                             

Devonshire House - refurbishment in the pipeline

HOPES are rising of a new and brighter future for the long-unloved Devonshire House building in Grimsby's Top Town. 

Subject to planning consent being granted by North East Lincolnshire Council, a London-based company, Romano International Ltd, intends to carry out improvements to the empty office block to make it more attractive to prospective tenants.

These would include: 

* The replacement and upgrading of all existing windows.

* The installation of a new glazed entrance serving the upper floors fronting Bull Ring Lane

* The installation of new double doors.

* The creation of a new internal bin store with access provided from the rear 

Assuming it proceeds, the project will dovetail well with the ongoing redevelopment of this part of town.

When a survey of the property was carried out in March ten years ago, it revealed the presence of potentially harmful asbestos.

It is not known if this has since been removed.