Reprieve for trees as Pleasure Island redevelopment project gets snarled up in planning process

 

Is this the final summer for the trees and shrubs at the former theme park?

A PROPOSAL to take a chainsaw to the trees and hedges on  the former Pleasure Island theme park in favour of a supermarket-cum-leisure development has hit the buffers - at least for the foreseeable .

Even though the planning application was submitted as far back as January, it is understood that it will still be "months rather than weeks" before it is determined.

There are two main obstacles - objections from two heavyweight organisations, namely  the Environment Agency, which fears flood danger, and English Nature, which objects to the peril posed to wildlife.   

NELC’s administration is desperate for the project to proceed on the basis that it will 'tidy up' the site and generate economic opportunities.

But another potential hurdle is access to the site, with the council’s own highways department continuing to withhold  judgement pending clarification on what is proposed.

All these problems have created a mega-headache for the development consortium’s agents, Lichfields, who are trying to find a way to resolve the tangle - if, indeed, a resolution is achievable.

The consortium wants most of the trees and shrubs to be felled to make way for a Lidl supermarket, an leisure building and 270-plus accommodation cabins.

If the worst comes to the worst, it may be necessary to discard the current scheme in favour of an alternative project - one more likely to gain favour. 

But it all takes time and effort.

On the plus side, the delay has given an extended breathing space to Nature. 

At least for another spring season, the trees and shrubs and flowers have flourished, providing a home for countless pollinating insects and songbirds.

Garden of Eden - but for how much longer? 

Most of the buildings are also earmarked for demolition

The Grimsby News says: Many years ago, when the Pleasure Island theme park was built, the developers showed sufficient sensitivity to ensure that the rides and other attractions were installed without removing the extensive trees and shrubs. The greenery helped enhance the visitor experience. Why cannot the Lidl-backed consortium adopt a similar approach by seeking to install the supermarket  accommodation cabins around the trees as is is done at similar developments such as Center Parcs and Kenwick near Louth? There is no need for the scale of tree-felling that is envisaged. As it stands, the current design proposal is crude to the point of being brutal. Lidl & Co should go back to the drawing board without more ado.