Cleethorpes on a roll! More than £18-million Whitehall funding set to breathe new vibrancy into seaside town

 

Whitehall cash set to cascade into Cleethorpes

CLEETHORPES is set for a boost following the announcement that it will benefit from a £18.4-million Levelling Up grant from Whitehall.

The welcome monies will help it to press on with a masterplan produced last year by Hemingway Design.

All being well, this should lead to major enhancement works for:

* Market Place

* Sea Road

* Pier Gardens

Welcoming the announcement, North East Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson said: "This is absolutely brilliant news for the resort!

"Cleethorpes is fast becoming the jewel in the crown along the East Coast of our country and is attracting growing numbers of people who want not only to visit but also live here."

Top priority will be to revamp the market place to accommodate markets, festivals and associated retail events.

The council hopes this will "encourage outdoor dining and provide a healthier, more pleasant environment" than exists at present.

It is hoped that the monies might hasten redevelopment of the boarded-up former Waves pub site on  Sea Road where, despite planning permission for a new building, marketing efforts to attract occupants have so far been unsuccessful. 

Regarding Pier Gardens, NELC is keen to retain the Victorian heritage and 'feel', but believes the site could be rejuvenated with additional seating and planting to encourage birdlife and other biodiversity as well as providing spaces for reflection and contemplation.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring East Lindsey, the district council has secured a grant of just over £8-million towards various schemes such as refurbishing Alford Manor House, a Grade II listed building which will be brought back to life as part of a community visitor complex, and the same town's only remaining windmill which will be brought back into commercial use as part of a community complex. 

Says Levelling Up Secretary: " We are firing the starting gun on more than a hundred transformational projects in every corner of the UK that will revitalise communities that have historically been overlooked but are bursting with potential.

"This new funding will create jobs, drive economic growth and help to restore local pride. 

"We are delivering on the people’s priorities, levelling up across the UK to ensure that no matter where you are from, you can go as far as your talents will take you."

Agrees Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt: "This is a major downpayment on  jobs, growth and regeneration, all part of our mission to level up opportunity across the country.

"To unlock more growth right across the country, we are making it easier for locally-elected leaders to make things happen."

The Grimsby News says: Congratuations to NELC on securing this handsome grant! On the face of it, this can only bode well for Cleethorpes and the rest of the borough. But let's not crack open the champagne yet. The authority is light on project management expertise. It will probably have to recruit and appoint consultants across many disciplines - and none of them come cheap. It would be a disappointment, indeed, if, as has happened before, they swallowed up most of the monies, then disappeared over the horizon before mission had been accomplished.