SEAFRONT HOARDING LIKELY TO STAY IN PLACE 'FOR AT LEAST 18 MONTHS' SAYS COUNCIL

                                                      

The council has been unable to spark commercial interest in the site behind the hoarding 

HOPES are fading that there might soon be redevelopment of the boarded up site of the former Waves pub opposite Cleethorpes pier.

It had been hoped that the site would accommodate a tourist information and shop with a restaurant or bar above.

But North East Lincolnshire Council's marketing initiatives have flopped, and no developer has come forward to take on the project.

Nor has NELC come up with a Plan B for the site - reckoned to be one of the most prestigious plots on the foreshore.

As a result the ugly hoarding will stay in place.

It has now emerged that the council intends to disguise the ugliness with "graphics".

Says a spokesperson for the authority: "The detail will inform the local community and visitors of what Cleethorpes has to offer, and also provide information about the proposals within the recently approved 'masterplan'. 

"It is not advertising in any way. 

"It is important to highlight that this is a key site in the tourism heart of the resort, and the hoarding and new graphics are likely to be in place for at least 18 months which encompasses the main tourism season." 

It is understood that the design is being collaboratively developed by a committee consisting of NELC's regeneration  officers, the authority's communications team, Hemingway Design - the consultants for the 'masterplan' - and local graphic designers. 

Adds the spokesperson: "The aim is for the signage to be informative and pleasing to the eye. 

"These graphics will further enhance the work which has already been completed in Sea Road and with the North Prom art installations as part of the ongoing Cleethorpes regeneration programme."

The Grimsby News says: Was ever there a more uninspired proposal! The campaign to market this site has been so lacklustre that it is no surprise that, despite its highly advantageous location,  developer interest has been somewhere between scant and non-existent. And  why has NELC not come up with a Plan B? There are plenty of opportunities for making use of this land - from a seasonal  outdoor market to a pop-up park. Instead, the site will remain in its current state - derelict and surrounded by crude hoarding - until well into 2024. Far from enhancing it, adding committee-designed  graphics to the hoarding will just represent more street clutter.  Cleethorpes deserves better. It is being badly let down by the  council's lack of imagination and oomph.