AT LAST - WORK ON CLEETHORPES' NEW LIFEBOAT HOUSE SCHEDULED TO START NEXT SPRING

                                                                    

Plan of the proposed new lifeboat house 

Work could start on construction of Cleethorpes' long-awaited new lifeboat house in spring next year.

There is a longstanding planning consent for the development, but there have been various hitches along the way.

The last issue seems to concern the significance of a timber groyne and the extent, if any, to which it needs to be retained.

The RNL has applied for its removal, and this request is due to be determined in the New Year by North East Lincolnshire Council planners.

It is important that construction of the lifeboat station is undertaken in spring and summer because these are the seasons when most of the protected shorebirds, such as sanderling and knot, are absent from Cleethorpes while they breed in the Arctic.

A downside of the project is that the new building will bisect the central beach.

Judging by the nearby pier, the support  may be unattractive, with an additional concern that it may prove a location for antisocial behaviour and accumulation of litter.

However, it will enable the inshore  lifeboat to launch more speedily - a crucial consideration when it comes to carrying out life-saving rescues.

                                            

                    Earmarked for removal the groyne and red topmark