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| Although the new lifeboat station will be intrusive across the beach, the design by Lancaster- based Thomas Associates Architects has met with the liking of council planners |
WILL the proposed new lifeboat stations harm the Cleethorpes beachscape?
Almost certainly yes, but it is surely a price worth paying if the venture helps to save lives.
The structure will be located about 50 metres closer to the pier than the current lifeboat station.
Like the pier it will be constructed on steel stilts. There will be an access ramp to the sea.
But the impact of the structure will be intrusive and bisect a busy part of central beach, thereby creating a less expansive, even slightly cluttered visual impact.
The bases of the stilts are likely to accumulate litter and could also create an obstacle to North East Lincolnshire Council's sand cleansing/raking activities.
Construction activities will cause a disturbance to the wading birds - such as knot, oystercatcher, curlew and redshank - that feed on the beach but these are likely to return, possibly in enhanced numbers when the project has been completed.
The new premises will accommodate not just the existing D-class inflatable inshore lifeboat, but also a larger Atlantic 85 B-Class inshore vessel with greater operational capacities.
For a start it has a higher maximum speed - 33 knots per hour compared with 25 knots for the D-Class. It comes equipped with radar and can take a crew of four rather than the three only of its junior sister.
Work was due to have started on construction this week. There has been a hitch but it is still expected to proceed this autumn, possibly later this month.
A report to North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee, which approved the application in June last year, states: "The proposal will result in a change to the existing landscape.
"Other than the pier, there is little in the way of protrusion on to the beach.
"Much of the proposal is derived from operational need and this, to a degree, influences the layout and form of the building to ensure it is fit for purpose.
"Notwithstanding, significant thought has been given to the scale of the building and its external finish to ensure it is respectful, particularly so given the site's close proximity to Cleethorpes Central Seafront Conservation Area.
"The building has an interesting design with a wave-shaped roof which overhangs at the sides. External finishes are proposed to be timber and buff sandstone for the external walls with aluminium for the roof. Timber is proposed for the windows and doors.
"Durability of materials is key given the site's coastal location.
"The building's footprint is not excessive and, from Central Promenade, it would be viewed as a single storey building.
"This size of building is characteristic of other buildings in the locality and would not be out of keeping in relation to scale."
The council's conservation officer, Emily Wailes, comments: "The proposed materials and lighting are considered to be an extension to the existing character of the promenade, and, as such, the development will become a positive addition to the historic resort."
Cleethorpes has had a lifeboat since 1868.
The importance of the service it provides is reflected in this year's statistics which reveal that, up to present this year, the lifeboat has been called out on no fewer than 61 occasions, resulting in at least six lives having been saved.
Most recently it was in action on September 27 after there was a report of a man wading out into the sea between the pier and Fuller Street.
Happily, the incident proved to be much ado about nothing. The individual turned up at his home not long after.
It is not known what might be the future of the current lifeboat station once it has become redundant.
Below: Any disturbance to wading birds, such as this curlew, from construction noise and activity is likely to be short-term
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