A THREE-STOREY building fit for the modern age but reflecting Cleethorpes’ Art Deco past is being planned for one of the resort’s most visible and popular seafront areas.
Plans have been submitted for the building that will replace the former Waves public house and its first floor flat and basement, the public toilet block next door and the boat house that is used by the Beach Safety team.
They show a modern design on three floors with a curving structure reminiscent of the buildings which stood on this site in the late 1800s and early 1900s, along with the curved colonnade that once existed. A balcony will wrap the building on its first floor, with views across the promenade and beach and adjoining an entertainment and events space on the other side.
The planning application, which will be considered by North East Lincolnshire councillors in the spring, reveals how most of the ground floor will be for community use with a tourist information centre, public toilets and beach safety services along with potential space for a small retail or food kiosk.
The first and second floors will be marketed and commercially let subject to planning, which could attract leading food, beverage and entertainment outlets to complement the existing local offer.
Taking up a smaller footprint than the previous three buildings, this new development will also allow for a redesigned, high quality outdoor area. Existing trees, some of which have preservation orders, will be retained and the building wall will run up Sea Road, gradually decreasing in height as it wraps around the new building and Pier Gardens. Improvements in this area will complement the other works that are currently underway or have been completed in the resort, says the application.
Designed by the Technical Design Team at ENGIE, in partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council, the plans were drawn up in consultation with the Police to look at ‘Designing out Crime’, along with stakeholders of the local authority, and after seeking the views of the wider public. As the site is within a conservation area, a thorough and independent design review was also carried out, with suggestions being taken into account.
The application also highlights the importance of transforming this currently underused area of the resort: “This is a key site, the importance of which has previously been under-utilised and the proposed scheme forms part of the overall regeneration plan for Cleethorpes,” it adds.
As already reported, initial work on the public realm works has begun along Sea Road to improve the adjacent highways infrastructure and allow for broader pavements next to the proposed building. This redevelopment has been made possible with the support of a £1m award from the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund.
The ‘Sea Road’ project is part of a major regeneration scheme for Cleethorpes along with associated heritage projects currently planned or underway in the resort, which are all supported by central government’s Coastal Communities Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and North East Lincolnshire Council.