The golden age of the trawler! Second opportunity to bid for superb oil painting by George Odlin

 

A second chance has arisen to bid at auction for a superb  painting of Grimsby dockside. George Odlin's 1994 oil-on-canvas failed to sell on Tuesday at a sale conducted by John Taylors of Louth. This was because it did not achieve its reserve price. It is now being offered by the same firm in an online auction which closes at some time after 1pm next Monday February 10. The target price is upwards of £150.

                                           

 

More than 1,100 construction jobs beckon as Government approves huge Humber Estuary project

 

Artist's impression of the 'green energy' project proposed for the South Bank of the Humber 

AN ambitious plan by ABP to build and operate a 'green energy'  processing plant in the Humber Estuary has been given the planning thumbs-up by Whitehall.

It could create as many as 1,112 jobs in the construction sector.

Once completed, there could also be significant permanent employment - 134 direct new jobs and 142 indirect jobs. 

In a nutshell, the development by port giant ABP and its partner, Air Products,  will comprise harbour facilities and a building to process liquid bulks, notably huge quantities of ammonia to be imported from Saudi Arabia.

The fuel will be converted to to hydrogen for use in  shipping, buses and HGVs.

There are also likely to be other industrial applications. 

The road to planning consent - rubber-stamped this week by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander - has been long and sometimes tortuous.

It has even involved the purchase of  now fewer than 10 houses on Queens Road, Immingham, which stood in the way of the project. 

There has also had to be 'compensation' for harm to biodiversity - for instance, an extensive area of deciduous woodland which is set to be chopped. 

Today's announcement is certain to be welcomed by North East Lincolnshire Council which backed the scheme.

Huge enthusiasm has already been expressed by the council's investment partner, Equans, which states: "The proposal represents a significant investment in the port, manufacturing, chemical and logistics sectors which will support the wider economic growth of the South Humber Bank.

"This will especially be the case during the construction period and then for the future supporting services, such as technical support, engineering and servicing." 

The proposed development is of huge scale, both the extent of land and the size of the buildings.

The highest elements of the development will be  the hydrogen production units with flare stacks up to 45 metres high and the ammonia storage tank element which has infrastructure up to 65 metres high, the main tank being 40 metres high.

Will the development be a blot on the landscape? Possibly yes - but no more than others on the South Bank of the  Humber such as  the ports of Grimsby and Immingham and petrochemical installations at Killingholme.

A report states: "Whilst visible in the landscape the proposed development would not stand alone but add to the existing industrial landscape."

There are some downsides.  

Inevitably, traffic disruption will be  inevitable during the construction phase, with  approximately  200 HGV movements and 1500 car/van movements per day at peak times.

Some 220 mature trees will need to be felled  in order to connect the liquid bulk pipeline from the proposed jetty to the storage and production facilities,

Natural England has also expressed misgivings about a potentially adverse impact on the many wetland birds that over-winter on the estuary mudflats.                                     

Aerated concrete discovered in strip-out of former Freshney Place department store

                                           

Strip-out of former department store premises revealed something unwelcome 

INVESTIGATIONS have revealed the presence of fragile Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in Grimsby's Freshney Place shopping centre.

This is the material  which prompted the partial closure of  buildings at more than 230 schools in August 2023.

It is understood the discovery was made while contractors were stripping out the former BHS store in readiness for it to accommodate a new food hall at part of the grand Freshney Place regeneration project.

A less costly alternative to standard concrete, RAAC is quicker to produce and easier to install, but less durable  and susceptible to structural failure if exposed to moisture. 

The typical lifespan is around 30 years.

It is not known whether this form of substitute concrete exists elsewhere in the shopping centre.

A NELC report seen by the Grimsby News report states:  "Operationally, the centre had not previously seen a focus on maintenance prior to acquisition."

Is MP Melanie Onn losing patience with council over slow-motion Corporation Road Bridge repair project?

                                                                 

Whatever happened to due diligence? it was originally claimed that the £5.1-million repairs project would be complete by December 2023  

GRIMSBY and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn will this week meet with NELC leaders to demand greater clarity on the Corporation Road Bridge repairs saga that has caused so much ongoing anguish in Grimsby.

The meeting should have been held last Friday, but, at the request of the council, it was postponed until this Friday.

Latest word from the council is that a report is still awaited on a feasibility study for the mechanics of Span 4 of the structure - the section that can be raised and lowered.

But last night Ms Onn demanded: "Why is it only now - so late in the project - that this study is being sought?

"The closure has divided Grimsby in two, hit businesses, clogged traffic and caused multiple other disruptions.

"There has not been a great deal of clarity from the council, and  I will keep pressing for regular updates."

                                              

Melanie Onn - quiet word with ministers?

The MP said she was encouraged by the recent removal of weatherproof coverings which she took as a sign of progress, but she warned that,  if the repairs were to fall even further behind schedule, she would be "in touch with her ministerial colleagues".

Meanwhile, in a Q&A session conducted live on Facebook on Monday, NELC's portfolio holder with responsibility for the bridge, Cllr Stewart Swinburn (Con, Immingham), expressed the hope that the troubled bridge would re-open to traffic in "the summer" - but, perhaps deliberately, he did not state the summer of which year.

It is not known whether the latest feasibility was carried out by an independent engineering consultancy or by the contractors, the Hull-based Spencer Group.

Repair work started in February 2023 with a target date for completion of December in that year.

The total budget was £5.1-million, with  £2.97-million coming from the Department of Transport, £1.83-million from NELC and  £320, 000 from another transport funding source.

There there has been no insight yet from the council on how much the repairs have so far  overshot the original budget, nor the likely size of the final bill  - and, crucially, who will foot it.

The Grimsby News says: The snail's pace progress on the bridge scarcely inspires confidence in NELC's capability to complete projects on time and within budget. This is worrying - particularly  given that it has lined up a raft of even more expensive infrastructure schemes for Grimsby and Cleethorpes - all to run concurrently - in the months ahead. Credit is due to to the NELC leadership for its ambition, but does the authority have sufficient staff with the skill, experience and determination to achieve its lofty aspirations? On the question of the bridge, the MP is right. Greater transparency would be welcome. When it is available, NELC should publish on its website the full feasibility report. It should also clarify all costings and state out of whose purse they will have to be met.

 

At last - a bit of (very) good news for Lidl-fronted consortium seeking to redevelop Pleasure Island

Light at the end of a very long tunnel for Pleasure Island consortium?

IT looks like there has been a major breakthrough for the consortium seeking to develop the former Pleasure Island theme park.

Up until now, the Environment Agency had always opposed the project for fear that coastal or fluvial flooding could swamp the site with potentially catastrophic consequences.

But it has emerged this week that the agency is now satisfied that the consortium’s commitment to a raft of precautionary measures is sufficient for it to withdraw its objection.

The proposal is for a Lidl supermarket, a drive-thru coffee shop, 272 holiday cabins, two hotels and various other retail, leisure and amusement buildings. 

There remain other objections - not least from  some nearby residents, concerned about highways matters, from a nearby supermarket chain and from organisations such as Natural England and the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust who fear the loss of rare bird and butterfly species that live either on or around the site.

Sadly, many mature trees - though not those adjacent to the site boundary with Kings Road - would need to be felled to make way for the development.

However, these considerations may not be deemed sufficient to outweigh the obvious economic benefits of the ambitious scheme.

As well as  German-owned supermarket chain Lidl, the consortium comprises two property developers with existing housebuilding and other interests in North East Lincolnshire.

However, they have entrusted the Leeds office of planning and development agents Lichfields to progress their application which has been sitting with North East Lincolnshire planning department since as far back as December 2022.

Now that the EA has withdrawn its objection, the consortium may be emboldened to ask NELC to determine the application without more ado - perhaps  brimful of confidence that a planning decision  will come down in their favour.                                            

Most, if not all, of these boundary trees would be maintained but most others within the site face the chop 

Town hall cookery lessons from council leader ahead of major revamp proposed for Cleethorpes

                                          

The site of the proposed new amenity building off Sea Road. Not a lot of activity has been seen in recent days but NELC's leader is upbeat about progress

You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs . . 

That was the reminder from leader Cllr Philip Jackson as he deliberated  on the forthcoming 're-design' that is looming for much of Cleethorpes. 

In a question-and-answer question conducted live on Facebook, he noted that work was already underway on construction of a landmark amenity building on Sea Road.

Later this year, the NELC management hopes also both to be revamping the market place and converting much of Pier Gardens from a leafy place of birdsong and tranquillity to a rumbustious free-to-use play park.

"That means quite a lot of work could be going on all at the same time," said the leader. "But I hope people will be patient and stick with us.

"You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs."

The leader provided no  details about any updated  proposals for Pier Gardens, nor about which firm might be the anchor tenant for the Sea Road amenity building.

It also unclear whether there has yet been any resolution to longstanding differences with traders over parking and access arrangements when the market place revamp goes ahead.

The forthcoming works are being funded on the back of an £18.4-million grant from Whitehall.

About 70 people watched the Facebook broadcast firing in no fewer than 80 questions.

The leader said that the event, screened in Grimsby Town Hall, reflected his administration’s commitment to transparent local government and he was keen for it to be the forerunner of similar adventures in future.

                                         

Uncertain future for these shrubs in NELC's vision for a 'rejuvenated' Pier Gardens

Count me out! Tree surgeon withdraws involvement in controversial Cleethorpes tree-lopping project

                                      

Tree surgeon and agent now wants no further involvement with contentious sycamore scheme (photo: NELC)

THERE has been a surprise twist in the furore over one of the finest trees in Cleethorpes and one that is covered by a preservation order.

At the weekend, tree surgeon Michael Lawn and his firm Acer Tree Care opted to pull out of his involvement in a scheme that would have seen 16ft being lopped off a main branch of the sycamore which is located in a garden  just off the seafront.

In an email seen by the Grimsby News, Mr Lawn writes: "After the multiple emails  sent to me from various people and places, we have taken the decision to withdraw ourselves from any  works to the sycamore tree at 4 Queens Parade, Cleethorpes."

He continues: "We pride ourselves on being one of the best tree surgery companies around, and we feel that this could jeopardise everything we have worked hard for even though we would be confident in carrying out a professional job. 

"Further to this, I instruct you to remove my name and my company's name from any further emails, notices and social media posts." 

It was only last Wednesday that NELC’s planning committee voted 6-4 to approve the dismemberment of the sycamore.

This was  at the request of the Waterfront Residents' Association which claimed that pigeons defecated "continuously" from the branch - though it produced no photographic evidence of a pigeon, or any bird, actually being perched on the threatened branch, let alone defecating from it..

Councillors reached their decision even in the knowledge that the measure would harm the visual amenity of the street scene, seriously wound the tree and  unbalance it such that it could be blown on to the house next to which it has grown for the past 70 years.

In addition, the decision appeared to breach NELC's own Trees Policy which states: "The nuisance of bird droppings is not considered to be a sufficient reason to prune or remove trees."

The lopping proposal was always opposed by the tree's owner, Kate Teakle, who engaged a specialist arboricultural consultancy whose report outlined a raft of potentially unwelcome consequences if the measure were to go ahead.

"If only the toe nails need trimming, why would you amputate a whole leg?" was her wry comment.

The ensuing controversy - picked up both by social media and the Grimsby Telegraph  - was so intense that Mr Lawn decided, probably not least for his own peace of mind, that the wisest option was to withdraw from the project.

However, his name is still formally registered on the planning application document as 'agent' for the scheme, so he may still bear a degree of liability should another firm offer to take on the contentious project. 

In the meantime, Ms Teakle has submitted her own alternative planning application for an all-round 'trim' of the tree which would be significantly less harmful to the tree while allowing it to retain its perfectly-proportioned shape. 

The Grimsby News understands that the council has deferred the decision on her proposal to a forthcoming planning committee meeting, possibly the one on February 26.

The Labour MP for Grimsby and Cleethorpes, Melanie Onn, is aware of the controversy as are the three Croft Baker ward councillors - Cllr Oliver Freeston (Reform UK), Cllr Malcolm Morland (Labour) and Cllr Marian Jervis (Labour) - but, as far as is known, none has made any public comment nor sought to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of all parties.

The Grimsby News says: Mr Lawn's decision to withdraw is both wise and magnanimous. Credit it to him for reaching this conclusion and good luck and prosperity to him and to his highly-regarded firm, Acer Tree Care. Looking to the future, the proposal by the tree's owner for an all-round  'trim' is surely much more pleasing than that submitted by the Waterfront Residents' Association.  Pending a decision, one course of action now open to the association is to request the council to revoke last week's planning permission with immediate effect. This would close one unhappy chapter and allow the two parties to move forward in a spirit of goodwill and harmony.