Yearly Archive 15 March 2022

More than 100 buildings on one of the main roads through Grimsby and Cleethorpes are looking a lot smarter thanks to a North East Lincolnshire Council campaign.

North East Lincolnshire Council launched Operation Gateway in June 2020 to improve the street scene on the A180 between Riby Square in Grimsby and Suggitt’s Lane in Cleethorpes.

The project is now coming to an end and has seen scores of property owners respond positively to calls to fix up their business premises and residential buildings.

Breaking the work into three phases, project officers contacted the owners of 227 buildings in Cleethorpe Road, Freeman Street and Grimsby Road.

To date, improvements have been carried out at 130 buildings in the target area.

Some of the problems put right include window frames, broken or missing render and flaking paintwork.

The Council’s aim with the project is to grow business confidence in this part of town by encouraging property owners to make physical improvements to their buildings and make the area more attractive.

Most property owners take care of their buildings, but some properties were neglected and posed a risk to the wider area.

Problems included windows almost falling out of their frames, shrubs growing in brickwork, missing gutters and drainpipes and vegetation in the gutters and on the roof.

Not only are dilapidated buildings an eyesore, they can also pose a risk to passers-by, harm the value of surrounding properties, and become beacons for criminality and anti-social behaviour.

Some property owners had set an example by already making changes before the project started, but many responded to calls from the Council to fix up their properties.

As well as working with property owners to encourage them to make improvements, the officers liaised with colleagues in the planning team to look at ways to bring some neglected buildings back into use.

Cllr Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for Safer and Stronger Communities at North East Lincolnshire Council, said:

“Since we launched Operation Gateway in June 2020, we’ve seen big improvements to the street scene along one of the main routes through Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

“I’m grateful to all the property owners who responded to our calls to fix up their buildings and improve the street scene in Cleethorpe Road and Grimsby Road.

“For so many to get behind what we’re doing is an excellent result and I’d like to thank the project officers for the difference they’ve made.”

Cllr Callum Procter, portfolio holder for Economic Growth, Housing and Tourism, added:

“We have big ambitions for North East Lincolnshire and the A180 is the gateway to the towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

“There’s a massive amount of passing trade, we’re capitalising on that and making a positive impression.

“I’m grateful to the project officers for their dedication and persistence with Operation Gateway and to the many property owners for making the place look better.

“These are great results and show that by working together we can build business confidence and make it a place to be proud of.”

Article and image from NELC.

The new Creativity Strategy for North East Lincolnshire is set to be approved at the Council’s Cabinet this week.

The strategy, developed working with specialist organisation, Beam and funded by NELC, Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund, will help to drive forward the work underpin the resurgence in creative work in the area.

The strategy outlines nine “Stories” of” that will be considered in future arts, culture and heritage work:

• The role Grimsby, Immingham, Cleethorpes and the Wolds play in the world
• The Sea
• The Coast
• Green space, The Wolds, ecology and biodiversity
• Sustainable energy and environmental responsibility
• Welcoming visitors
• Food and drink
• Local people, industry, trades, innovations and achievements
• Historic buildings, public spaces and landscapes

“Stories are at the heart of this creativity strategy,” said Frances Smith at Beam. “The strategy is focused on how creativity can be used as a way to learn about, understand and share our stories with others. Stories will be at the heart of all creative activity in the area, the consistent themes running through everything.”

The Creativity Strategy outlines a five year framework and sets out key ambitions grouped under three key themes:

• Creativity for all: including increasing the amount and visibility of creative activities in the area, focussing on equity, diversity and inclusion, involving young people and bringing generations together;
• Creative economy: including developing the next generation of creative people, securing funding, supporting creative individuals and businesses;
• Creative working: including embedding creativity in everyone’s lives, taking advantage of digital technology, striving for quality, working in collaboration and learning from others.

These themes will be the driver for increasing the amount and quality of creative activity in the area, for increasing opportunities for people to be creative, for encouraging people to take part, for promoting the area, supporting the local economy and improving people’s lives.

The Cabinet will review the Creative Strategy on 16 March. If this is approved, the next steps will be to develop a Creativity Board for the area – a steering group – to continue and lead the work developed in the Creativity Strategy. There will be opportunities for local creative individuals and businesses to take part through open recruitment to this.

Article from NELC.

The wait is finally over, and the winners of the inaugural Civic Awards have been revealed.

Forging links with our Jewish community was the agenda of a recent seminar.

A TOTAL of 18,000 sq ft of Grimsby town centre development land is being bought by North East Lincolnshire Council as it looks at the future regeneration and reinvention of the high street area.

Contracts have now been exchanged on the area, which comprises of 3-15 Osborne Street and the land behind those buildings on Garden Street, which is currently used as a car park.

Supporting the purchase, the Leader of the Council, Cllr Philip Jackson, was clear of intentions to look at the wider plans for the whole of the town centre. In doing so, he added, the council was determined to grasp hold of opportunities and lead change with central Grimsby a priority. The buildings, he added, had been redundant for some considerable time.

Over the last five years, the reshaping of the town centre has been led by the local authority. Along with partners and stakeholders including the Greater Grimsby Town Board, it has won multi-million-pound funding bids from Central Government.

This money, all ring-fenced for specific projects, has seen the transformation of St James Square and Garth Lane with its new footbridge, river dredging and extensive paving and landscaping. Further to that, work is set to start soon on the redundant St James House with the E-Factor purchasing the building to create a business hub. There is also support for a long-held residents’ view that the town centre needs better facilities for people using public transport.

This is in addition to the Future High Streets Fund, and projects earmarked for Towns Fund money including the full refurb of Riverhead Square, a plan for new housing on the redundant Garth Lane site and the wider multi-use of empty space at Central Library. There is also the new OnSide ‘Horizon’ Youth Zone, which has just won £2.7m of National Lottery Heritage Fund monies. This involves the transformation of the historic redundant buildings along Garth Lane into a state-of-the-art centre for young people.

“In order to effect change, which we all know is needed, we must look at opportunities such as this with a view to shaping and guiding redevelopment. Town Centres across the country have changed almost beyond what any of us would have anticipated and we have a responsibility to ensure the community’s needs are served as we look to refocus the town,” said Cllr Jackson.

Article and images from NELC.

North East Lincolnshire Council is submitting a planning application to restore the Scartho Cemetery Lodge and bring it back into use.

Cabinet members have approved almost £3m of central Government money aimed to improve and maintain the carriageways, footpaths and highway structures of North East Lincolnshire.

Three more local organisations are set to benefit from “Heritage Starter” grants to support heritage projects, small and large, made possible thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Tuesday evening (8 March 2022) saw the unveiling of Luminations, a major new permanent public artwork by Esther Rolinson.

The elected Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for the Humberside Police area is the focus of a new, regular series of articles in North East Lincolnshire Council’s community newsletter.