The hunt is on to find some specialist expertise to support North East Lincolnshire Council to help make Cleethorpes a year-round resort.
As recently reported, the Council is looking for some external support to create a new Masterplan for the resort and town centre.
“Just the same as for many other coastal areas, the last 12 months have been particularly difficult for businesses in the resort as people change their habits through online shopping and staying local,” Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of the Council, explained. “If you include the closure of Pleasure Island, the time has presented itself for us to take another look at the resort and what the art of the possible might be.”
The last adopted Masterplan for the resort was done in 2008, and since then, there have been many changes, including the recently completed Coastal Communities Fund project, which has seen the installation of several artworks on the North Prom as well as exercise furniture, and the Luminations due to be installed in the coming months. Added to that, there have been improvements to the road layouts in the main thoroughfares, and work underway to conserve and improve heritage properties along Alexandra Road through the National Lottery Fund’s Townscape Heritage programme.
Further plans already underway are the marketing of the Sea Road site for future public and commercial uses, alongside work to improve parking and signage in and around the resort.
“The time has come for us to take another look at Cleethorpes and get some external expertise to enhance our in house team and set a new vision for the tourism sector over the next decade, and help steer our investment and development plans,” continued Cllr Jackson.
The key outcomes of the plan are to increase footfall across the resort, to extend the traditional tourism season and make the resort attractive year-round, encourage more overnight staying visitors, and to increase sustainable jobs and opportunities for local people.
“Once we have a company on board to help us through this next stage, a key part of their work will be to talk with local people about what they want to see,” said Cllr Jackson. “It might be Park and Ride facilities, or great new businesses, no ideas are off the table at this point. We need to gather ideas, understand what local people as well as visitors want and need, and shape our plans around the key themes.”
The tender for the Masterplan development is available as opportunity reference DN566640 on https://procontract.due-north.com and closes at noon on 17 September 2021.