Restoration and repair works to Grade II listed structure, Corporation Road Bridge, have been progressing.
Engineers on site will be carrying out work over the a number of weekends in March, taking advantage of expected low tide levels, to continue the mechanical preparation works to the underdeck of the bridge.
Weekend working dates:
Footpaths will remain open during weekend working dates.
Footpath closures will take place on some weekdays as work is carried out to areas close by. These will take place between 9am and 4pm on the following dates:
These temporary closures are necessary to ensure the safety of both the public and the contractor. Temporary signs will be in place for the footway closures.
North East Lincolnshire Council, its delivery partner, Equans and contractor Spencer Group would like to thank the public for their patience whilst the work is being undertaken.
Visit http://www.investnel.co.uk/corporation-bridge to keep up to date with the Corporation Road Bridge works.
March 12 – Websites are vital to the success of most modern businesses, allowing your customers to get to know you – and vice versa.
This FREE webinar delivered by Wilkin Chapman LLP Solicitors will explain the importance of ensuring that your website (and the information you collect from it) is compliant with UK GDPR.
Join their data protection team as they:
This webinar is ideal for data protection officers, directors, and executives handling data for businesses of all sizes.
March 8 – Discover the Future of Manufacturing at the Business Lincolnshire Manufacturing Conference 2024.
Join Business Lincolnshire for a day of insightful discussions and workshops tailored for manufacturing businesses in Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland at our Manufacturing Conference 2024. Hosted in the picturesque setting of The Lawn area in Lincoln, the event promises a dynamic exploration of manufacturing trends and opportunities.
March 19 – Join Northern Powergrid and attend their regionally-focussed, hybrid stakeholder workshops where your feedback will genuinely shape their approach to deliver an electricity network that enables decarbonisation.
The topics for discussion will include, but not be limited to:
• How Northern Powergrid are approaching collaboratively planning the network at a local and regional level and what they need to do to facilitate your plans for growth and decarbonisation
• How Northern Powergrid are enabling quicker and more efficient connections to their network through new processes and innovative solutions
• How organisations can leverage their assets through flexibility services whilst supporting their region’s transition to net zero?
The workshops will comprise presentations from senior NPg colleagues, followed by roundtable / breakout room discussions, where your comments will directly inform future plans.
Hull & Humber Workshop – In person
Hull & Humber Workshop – Online
March 14 – Are you confident you’re getting the most from your Microsoft365 subscription? This exclusive event for Business Hive members is hosted by Darren Dickinson of Sigma DX Ltd.
In this dynamic session, discover the strategies to boost your business’s efficiency by utilising the full potential of Microsoft365. From streamlining communication to improving collaboration, Darren will unveil the insider tips and tricks to enhance your workflow.
March 21 – Global trade can be seen as too risky, too complex, too costly, but the truth is, any company serious about innovation and growth will have to explore overseas markets at some point as their domestic market matures and revenues plateau. Furthermore, risk, complexity, and cost are significantly reduced, and revenue opportunities substantially increased with a little knowledge, outside expertise, and hands-on support.
Why not join Business Lincolnshire, Global Trade Department, and a small group of industry peers for this morning workshop where we will be exploring everything and more that a UK manufacturer must know to successfully trade globally in 2024 and beyond.
March 27 – Businesses from across the UK are invited to join the first in a series of webinars, designed to provide a detailed overview of offshore wind and the vast opportunities it presents for a variety of sectors and markets. This second webinar in the series will focus on the USA, providing a detailed insight on doing business in this market.
This is a great opportunity to discover how to transfer UK experience into international markets. The UK is currently the world’s largest offshore wind market, meaning UK businesses are well positioned to access opportunities overseas.
March 14 – Businesses from across the UK are invited to join a series of webinars, designed to provide a detailed overview of the US and the vast opportunities it presents for the UK tech sector.
Join the Department for Business & Trade to hear from their US based colleagues on the exciting export opportunities available to UK companies aligned to AI. This webinar is specifically designed for businesses within the UK supply chain looking to explore and expand into the US tech market. Whether you are an established business in the tech and digital sector or a newcomer seeking to understand your place, this webinar will provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary for success.
Pier Gardens, is a 14,000 square metre garden area in the heart of Cleethorpes, and is the subject of one of the three Levelling Up Funded projects in the town, alongside Market Place and Sea Road.
In the Masterplan, developed with local people and approved by the Council in 2022, local residents and businesses wanted to see the gardens changed and refreshed, to include new activities for children to do, a space for quiet contemplation, but also as a better space for hosting markets and other entertainment. This concept was included in the Masterplan, and subsequently received Government funding to progress.
Last year, the Council tendered for landscape designers to take the concept plans to the next stage, and the contract has been awarded to WSP, who have, as part of their team, Hemingway Design, who worked on the Masterplan.
Anson Forrester, from WSP, said: “We can’t wait to get going on this project. It’s a fabulous resort and can only be enhanced by the work in the gardens. We’ll be looking for input from local people in to take the works from concept to final design – please do take part, ultimately, these are your public gardens, and like the council, we want to see these used. The design of the gardens will be key to that – creating spaces that people want to spend time in.”
Councillor Philip Jackson, Leader of the council, said: “Cleethorpes has a wealth of assets that can enable it to be at the forefront of regeneration. Opened in 1885, Pier Gardens’ location is at the heart of the resort and the scope for re-development is vast. The area for regeneration presents a unique opportunity to create a space that will become an attraction for residents and visitors alike. The linear park raised above Central Promenade is a hidden and an underutilised gem of a public green space that could offer so much more.”
WSP has recently completed projects in Swansea, Lowestoft and Blackburn, and has a track record of working with coastal communities delivering projects that change how people feel about spaces in their towns.
The next stage of the Pier Gardens work will involve drop in sessions where people can find out more and give their detailed views about the space – how it could work, what could be included, how the space needs to change and adapt for our future climate and mobility.
The first drop in session is a joint one with the Market Place project on 29 February at Cleethorpes Town Hall between 12noon and 7pm.
Sessions will also be held with community groups and local stakeholders, as well as being able to feedback your thoughts online: online questionnaire- external site .
The final design for the gardens will be based on feedback, as well as budgetary considerations, and is planned to be developed over the first half of this year, with construction starting in the autumn / winter of 2024.
Refurbishment works to the iconic Corporation Road Bridge in Grimsby are progressing.
Grit blasting works to the undersides of the bridge for spans 1, 2, 3 and 4 have allowed a detailed inspection of the structure, and this revealed an increase in necessary repairs. The timber lifting deck has been removed and a temporary deck has been installed whilst works are still on-going.
A spokesperson for Spencer Group, the Principal Contractor on the project, said:
“This bridge has been in place for almost 100-years, and exposed to harsh environmental conditions, including the salt waters of the River Freshney.”
“As blasting works have progressed, it has become clear that the extent of the repairs required are beyond those originally envisaged. This has required further designs to be added to the scope of works in addition to further physical repairs.”
“Steelwork repair works have begun both above and below deck, with painting works progressing as repairs permit.”
Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for environment and transport at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “Closing the bridge for an extended period of time was not an easy decision to make, but it has been necessary in order for this historic structure to be saved.
“If we had chosen not to go ahead with the refurbishment, this 100-year old structure would likely not be around for much longer.
“I’d like to thank all of our residents, local businesses and partners for continuing to support the much-needed refurbishing works.”
Encapsulation and scaffolding are now fully erected to the North side of spans 5 and 6 above deck, preventing dust, debris and adverse weather from affecting the works in progress. Grit blasting works are now in progress on these sections as well.
Due to Marine Management Organisation license restrictions, works cannot commence to the underside of these spans until spans 1 to 3 are complete.
Detailed design works to the control room have now been completed with works due to start in the next few weeks.
North East Lincolnshire Council, its delivery partner, Equans and contractor Spencer Group would like to thank the public for their patience whilst the work is being undertaken.
Visit https://www.investnel.co.uk/grimsby-developments/corporation-road-bridge-refurbishment-scheme/ to keep up to date with the Corporation Road Bridge works.
The work on developing the detailed design for both the Pier Gardens and Market Place schemes in Cleethorpes is underway, with separate consultants being brought in to help the Council realise its ambitions.
The Cleethorpes Masterplan, adopted in 2022, set out the principles of what people want to see in the various areas of Cleethorpes, and followed consultation with local people, visitors and businesses.
The next stage of this is to take those outline plans and talk with people and businesses in the area about the potential of both spaces – what to include, what needs to be left alone, what can and can’t be changed, so that detailed designs can be drawn up within the budget available through the Levelling Up Fund award.
As part of this, there will be a drop in session at Cleethorpes Town Hall on Thursday 29 February from 12 noon to 7pm where you can help shape the future designs.
There is also an online form that you can fill in and give your views – this will be available through the Council’s website on the “Have your say” pages.
The information from this, and subsequent sessions with specialist groups – young people, businesses, and creative individuals, for example, will be pulled together and a design for each space created in the coming months.
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of the Council, said: “This part of the work is about the people who are going to be using the spaces in the future having their say about what they want to see there.
“For Pier Gardens, for example, it might be that you want space to play, or space to see live music, or even just space to sit and watch the world go by.
“For Market Place, it might be that you want an open space all the time, but practical constraints, like how traffic moves around, or parking provision in and around the area, might mean that we have to think differently about how this could be delivered.
“All in all, we need you to get involved and help us design these areas.”
If you want to get involved, please do either drop in to Cleethorpes Town Hall or get involved online.
Work is starting on site on 26 February to do essential works to the three key bridges into Grimsby and Cleethorpes and protect them for the future.
Starting with Gilbey Rd bridge, then Cleethorpes Flyover and followed by Alexandra Dock Bridge, there are works on both eastbound and westbound carriageways of each bridge which will be completed in phases.
The first few weeks:
From 26 February, for up to two weeks, there will be overnight closures from 8pm to 6am on Gilbey Road flyover to enable contractors, VSL, to construct the crossovers between the carriageways. Traffic will be diverted between Pyewipe and Westgate roundabouts around localised diversion routes during the closure.
The road over the Gilbey Road flyover (between Pyewipe and Westgate roundabouts) will be opened up again during this first week through the daytime to normal traffic, but with a lowered running speed of 30mph for safety reasons.
Once the crossovers have been built, traffic will be diverted onto the opposite side of the road, allowing one side of the flyover to be worked on at once during the main project.
Additionally, earlier this year, a “Bridgology” survey was completed by contractors, VSL. This was a GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) survey of the structure of the bridges and gave a good indication of the construction layers of the structures. In order to confirm some unexpected results recorded by the survey, trial holes need to be dug to expose a few areas on both Alexandra Dock Bridge and Cleethorpe Road flyover in the early weeks. These will be done during an overnight lane closure in the first few weeks, which will be lifted as soon as practical, and should not affect traffic flow. The holes will be backfilled overnight, and then normal traffic will resume.
The main project:
Once underway, the main project work will involve removal of the existing carriageway surface to get to the lower layers to start to inspect and repair the waterproofing layer of the bridge. Removing the concrete cover of the bridge deck to get to the reinforcement bars that are to be replaced, is unfortunately a noisy operation, and whilst noise reduction measures are being put in place, these will not completely mask the sound of the works.
Extra lighting will also be brought in for the project, which will remain on throughout the night to ensure safe working areas.
Once the works are underway, they will be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to try to get the project completed in the shortest possible time.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, Cabinet member for Highways, said: “These are critical elements of our highway system in North East Lincolnshire. If these fail, there would be significant impacts, both economically in terms of the amount of trade that use the route, but also for local people going about their everyday lives.
“If we don’t do the repairs soon, the structures will only get worse, meaning larger scale repairs, and potentially complete closure of the route in the future.
Cllr Swinburn continued: “Given the scale of the programme, it’s inevitable that there will be disruption to the highway network. VSL will be working 24 hours a day on the project to get this done as quickly as possible.”
If anyone has any queries about the works, please contact ProjectManagementTeam@nelincs.gov.uk.
Timeline in brief: project starting on the structures on 26 February
Week 1-2:
Week 2-3 Gilbey Road Flyover Traffic in contraflow 24/7. Speed restriction: 30mph
Works are due to start this week on the latest Cleethorpes’ property to receive National Lottery Heritage Funding as part of the Townscape Heritage (TH) Project for Cleethorpes.
The former grocers and newsagents store at 35-37 Sea View Street is the first property on the street to be part of the programme, with several others on Alexandra Road being renovated in the last few years.
The successful tenderers, CAG Developments Ltd will undertake the works having previously done work to buildings 21-22 Alexandra Road and also the balcony restoration works on the same stretch.
In this project, CAG will be restoring the front façade of the building including full reroofing, returning it to its former heritage glory.
The front elevation of the building will change significantly, with the following works planned:
Alongside the heritage restoration to the façade of the building, the owners are undertaking a full internal refurbishment of the property. The current plans are for the ground floor to remain as retail, but this project will return the floorplan to two smaller retail units. The upper floors are to be converted from storage space to residential accommodation.
During the works, hoardings / scaffolding will be erected around the front of the building for the full duration, which is currently expected to be around three months. Pedestrians will be diverted onto the pathway on the other side of the road.
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of the council, said: “It’s great that this scheme has come forward and I’m grateful to the property owners for taking part. This is the first project to come forward along Sea View Street, and the building has been empty for quite a long time, so it will be good to see it brought back into use. The overall scheme has been a great success so far, with lots of building owners coming forward to improve the character of their heritage properties in the resort.”
The grantee said: “We approached the council prior to purchasing the property, as our intention was to restore the building. We have worked closely with the Townscape Heritage Project Manager over a number of months so we are really excited to arrive at this point where our shared vision is about to come to reality.”
The grant for this project is £67K with more than £700k awarded in total so far as part of the programme. This has supported the restoration of seven property facades and several balcony restorations along Alexandra Road.
The Clee Fields site development is nearing completion with the latest section, the installation of the two artificial grass 3G football pitches, finished a few weeks ago.
The new changing facilities are nearing completion, with the main interior already finished, and ready for fit out by a new operator. Work to complete the car park and associated drainage and lighting is well underway.
The facility in the future will be able to provide all-year-round football and rugby use for the community, including local clubs, leagues and schools, as well as the opportunity for hosting tournaments and events.
An operator for the site is now being sought, with a view to taking on, and running, the site later this year. This opportunity is now available to view and submit bids by anyone interested on YORtender Public quote/tender – Operator for Clee Fields Pavilion & Pitches (eu-supply.com).
This open tender will invite any interested local and national operators to come forward to submit a bid to run the site under a concession contract. The successful bidder will run the site for five years initially, providing a great new facility for local people to use.
While an operator is being appointed, individual teams, clubs or organisations who are interested in future use of Clee Fields are encouraged to register their interest for future bookings and mailing list updates through contacting: cleefields@nelincs.gov.uk.
As previously reported, the development at Clee Fields has been made possible, thanks to an injection of grant funding of £1.5 million awarded from the Premier League, The FA and Government via the Foundation to support investment from the Council.
The development of Clee Fields is part of the Council’s commitment under the Playing Pitch Strategy. This pledges to give all residents the opportunity to access sports pitches and facilities to support being active, whilst some urban land is made available for regeneration.
Cllr Hayden Dawkins, Cabinet member for Culture, Heritage & the Visitor Economy, said: “These facilities at Clee Fields will offer a place where our residents of all ages can enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits high quality sport, leisure and recreation services offer. I look forward to working with the new operator to make sure we get this benefit to our community as soon as we can.”
DFDS, which employs over 1,000 people on the Humber, have taken the first steps in creating a new combined commercial office in the area by purchasing seven acres of land on the Pioneer Park development, located in Stallingborough.
Plans are being made to create a modern and more sustainable building which will consolidate several of DFDS’s current office-based colleagues from various functional sites across the Humber into one, collaborative, central location.
Fran Williams, DFDS HR Director for the UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to announce this exciting news. At DFDS we put people at the heart of everything we do and so it’s important that we continually strive to offer our colleagues a high-quality working environment and a commercial building that showcases our business principles. The building will be much more energy efficient and less environmentally impactful than our existing facilities, and we hope to create a modern and collaborative environment to make working for DFDS even more attractive.
“The new facility will be accessible by public transport and a new bicycle route, and for many of our colleagues it reduces the journey distance and time, all of which help our mission to become a net-zero company.
Ms Williams added: “We are now at an advanced phase with this project, and we are working with architects and designers to finalise the building concept and design. Incorporating green spaces, relaxation, and recreation areas, are examples of the features this building will have that differentiate it from our existing facilities. It will offer an environment that will allow us to attract some of the best talent from surrounding areas as well as helping us to retain the highly skilled colleagues that we already have. It’s exciting to think we will have a building that will look and feel as good as our professional values and vision.”
Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is great news and we’re really pleased to welcome DFDS to the Pioneer Park development having chosen North East Lincolnshire for their new office. We welcome the investment in our local economy which will support jobs and growth in the area.”
The new flagship building will initially be home to a large proportion of DFDS office-based employees and will be future proofed with the space to expand when needed. Operational colleagues will remain close to the operation as needed.
The 1,000 people employed by DFDS on the Humber includes office-based staff alongside those working in the company’s terminal, warehouses, cold stores and trucks.
In 2022, North East Lincolnshire Council was awarded a share of £6.7m to develop innovative solutions for flood and coastal resilience in the community.
Last year, a number of planter boxes were installed at four schools in the borough as part of the funding. The boxes, also known as Roof Irrigation Planters, allowed rainwater from the roof to discharge directly into a planter bed, increasing flood resilience by absorbing water and slowing the flow of water.
The next schedule of works as part of the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme will start on Monday 12 February and is anticipated to be completed in 6 months, subject to weather conditions. The work includes replacing the existing grass verges on Broadway with rain gardens. A rain garden is a sustainable drainage feature which will allow the surface water to drain from the road into a flower bed.
Underneath each flower bed will be a storage tank to store the water and slowly drain it back into the sewer network. By slowing down the flow of water into the sewer, it will reduce the flow volumes in the sewerage system, meaning there will be more capacity available during summer storms and so the risk of flooding is reduced.
The works will be completed under localised traffic management, including two-way traffic lights. Works will be carried out during the day, Monday to Friday, with no overnight or weekend works planned.
Construction of small sections of rain gardens will be taking place at any one time, rather than the whole length of road being impacted for the duration of the works. This approach should minimise any disruption caused.
The project is funded by Department for Environmental Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.
Andy Smith, Drainage and Coastal Defence Team Manager at Equans, said: “Managing rainwater run-off with rain gardens is an attractive, low maintenance and wildlife-friendly sustainable drainage feature. The rain gardens will allow us to manage rainwater run-off from the highway in a more natural way, reducing flood risk.”
Councillor Stewart Swinburn, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport, said: “It’s great to see more and more projects come to life through the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. Broadway is one of the areas in the borough that floods frequently, therefore this scheme in particular will help us to improve the resilience of local roads and properties to flooding.”
Matt Moore, Flood Partnerships Manager at Anglian Water, said “Raingardens and other SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) which ‘slow the flow’ of surface water into our combined network helps massively to reduce flood risk and helps the environment thrive.”
The NHS’s Community Diagnostic Centre, has started works on over 18,000 sq. ft. of space at Freshney Place Shopping Centre this week, with refurbishment works getting underway in preparation for a summer opening.
The new facility will provide the local community with better access to NHS services through its central location. Providing a range of non-urgent test facilities, including non-obstetric ultrasounds, electrocardiograms, and X-Rays. It is aimed to provide 150,000 additional health checks a year and will remove the need to attend acute hospital sites.
The addition of the CDC to Freshney Place emphasises the aspiration of the Council, to create a mixed use destination for the community, combining retail and leisure with services at the one site in central Grimsby. It also sets a precedent for other retail centres around the country, looking to develop a mixed use offering to help restore footfall in their own town centres.
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “We’ve been working on this with the NHS for some months now, and I’m pleased work is going to start on creating this new facility for our residents.”
Amanda Austin, centre director at Freshney Place said: “The addition of the CDC to the centre sees Freshney Place become a multipurpose location. Combining retail and leisure with health, and other services is in step with our plans to become a community focused destination, offering greater convenience and accessibility. We’re confident that the addition of such services will continue to drive footfall and occupation levels up; it’s a new and welcome chapter in the shopping centre’s long history.”
Hoardings have been erected and the CDC will be located in five currently vacant units on Baxtergate, along with Boots, Waterstone, HMV and Costa. It is expected to open this summer.
Work has finished on the latest project to receive Townscape Heritage Funding on Cleethorpes’ historic Alexandra Road.
The Townscape Heritage Project for Cleethorpes, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, co-funded the works to No. 24 Alexandra Road, [Thai Oriental] along with investment from the property owners.
The work to the façade of the building was carried out by Keith Howson Ltd, with professional support from Hodson Architects, and it followed the completion of the restoration of the historic balcony above this property that is continuous from No. 21.
The front elevation of the building will change dramatically, with the following works planned:
Samang Bulcock, owner of Thai Oriental, said: “We’ve run the business in Cleethorpes for nearly 20 years now and feel very much part of the local business community. We’ve seen the changes to other properties along the road as part of this scheme and we are really pleased to see the building complete and restored to its former glory.”
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Funs said: “It is wonderful news that this latest element of Cleethorpes’ Townscape Heritage Project is completed. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this project is putting heritage right at the heart of the regeneration of the town, ensuring it can be enjoyed by local people and visitors from further afield for years to come.”
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of the Council, said: “The work being done along Alexandra Road is absolutely stunning. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the property owners for coming on board with this project and helping to restore our heritage.”
Alexandra Dock Bridge spans a section of the A180 between Lockhill and Boulevard Avenue roundabout. A fairly unassuming bridge, this is the link between the upper River Freshney and the town centre, and Alexandra Dock, the Royal Dock, and the estuary. Due to its slight curvature and approach to Lockhill roundabout, along with its obscured view due to the position of The Range and yacht club, it is probably unusual for the general public to see the bridge from its side, as opposed to the top.
Alexandra Dock Bridge was created in 1983 as part of the extension to the Department of Transport’s A180, which was due to end “in a Pyewipe field” until the former Humberside County Council’s engineering department took control and designed the ‘West Marsh Relief Road’. The bridge came in £800,000 under budget due to innovative methods used on the vertical band drains, which ultimately eased pressure on the foundations. This in turn changed the design from a seven-span bridge to a three-span bridge by its completion.
Prior to the new “Westgate” A180 relief road, the route out of town via Gilbey Road took traffic over the historic Cleveland Bridge. The bridge, parts of which are now more than 115 years old, remains a thoroughfare for cyclists and pedestrians but vehicles ceased to cross the bridge when the relief road became operational. At time, the headmaster of nearby school Littlecoates, Mr Colin Kennedy, happy for its closure said: “It’s been like trying to run a school on the M1.”
Cleveland Bridge was built around the turn of the 20th Century, carrying the former Grimsby to Immingham tramway – the Clicketty – across the railway. As heavy traffic increased, the bridge – a main thoroughfare into town – was hampered by problems, and it was finally closed to vehicles in January, 1983. The newest and closest bridge to it in the current era is the Gilbey Road viaduct, a bridge carrying the A180 and all its traffic over the pedestrianised section of Gilbey Road, the railway, and a section of land used as storage for new car imports. The area is widely used by workers heading over to nearby estate roads and Humber bank businesses.
The section of A180 between the Pyewipe’s Westgate Roundabout and Lockhill was certainly a much-lauded piece of engineering. Crossing over a mile of spongy land, a railway, and a significant piece of dock was a difficult feat, but Humberside County Council staff were determined to provide a link for Grimsby and Cleethorpes residents to the national motorway system. It is a stretch of road that remains a vital part of the borough’s economy today.
Image provided by Lincs Inspire Library and Archive Service
Flyover plans were reported as boasting the capacity for 300 vehicles every five hours!
A VITAL artery between the outskirts of Grimsby and the golden beaches of Cleethorpes, the stretch of A180 between the Pyewipe and Riby Square has a fascinating and, at times, controversial history.
Today, the road is known locally as being the northern-most thoroughfare of North East Lincolnshire, connecting not only residents to their homes, workplaces, and leisure activities, but also lorries and fish workers to their businesses, traffic to the offshore wind operations and management base, tourists to their holiday destinations, and huge static homes to their sites in Humberston.
Opened on 16 October 1968, by the Mayor of Grimsby, Councillor Sleeman, documents suggest that the seeds for the £1million 1,100ft ‘Cleethorpe Road’ flyover, between Grimsby’s Lockhill and Riby Square, were first planted in the early 1950s. Until its construction, traffic passing from the two key areas of the town had to stop at Cleethorpe Road railway crossing, which during Grimsby’s fishing heyday was not a convenient place to be stuck.
It was noted in 1911 that almost 180,000 tonnes of fish alone had left the port that year, an increase of almost 179,500 tonnes compared to 1854. This was largely due to the arrival of the railway, in 1848, allowing for the transportation of fish to Billingsgate Market in London, and other areas of the country. At its peak, Grimsby was generating around 20,000 metric tons of fish a day, a mammoth amount leaving the area by road or rail, the latter remaining the dominant method of transport at that time.
It can only be imagined how difficult crossing the railway to the eastern part of the borough would be at this time.
Brian Hames, an elderly resident of present-day Grimsby, said: “The flyover was certainly needed and was long overdue. Everyone got stuck at the railway crossing, which was frustrating if you were trying to get anywhere.
“The problem was, the fish industry was beginning to change and the reason the flyover was put there, the railway, was also changing in response.”
With road haulage on the increase, the railways were dealt a further blow when chair of the British
Railways Board, Richard Beeching, declared the closure of a number of major routes as part of the railways’ rationalisation. The East Lincolnshire line serving Grimsby directly from the south and east of England was closed to through-traffic in 1970, with just a limited freight service to Louth which ceased in 1980.
The flyover was as controversial as it was useful, with some saying the design was innovative while others, including Alderman Larmour, declaring it “ugly”. The bridge ultimately won architectural commendations by The Civic Trust, in 1970.
It was also the subject of a “Think Again” campaign in 1966, with a small number of local councillors and residents deeming the Cleethorpe Road flyover unnecessary at the time, but with a wider vision for the town, increasing traffic, and a significant £750,000 of funding from the Government, the so-called “overbridge” plan was passed in 1963 with a Council majority.
Its construction also saw the demolition of several local streets, and subsequent rehousing of residents, but these homes were reported to have been in decline at this time. The Royal Hotel, home to acclaimed actress Patricia Hodge, also succumbed to the new bridge, its ‘Coffee House’ stained glass window now at home in the Town Hall’s Time Trap museum. Even Albert, the Prince Consort, was unsafe, first moved from his plot at the former Prince Albert Memorial Gardens to make way for a British Rail rail freight terminal, then to a space across Cleethorpe Road, and again to the dock offices to make way for the flyover.
The flyover was reported by the Grimsby Evening Telegraph in 1966 as being more than adequate for the expected 300 vehicles every five hours, including transport from berthed roll-on roll-off vessels. Although fixed and updated in 1975 and 2001, the bridge now carries an estimated 27,000 vehicles each day and requires much-needed work if it is to remain an important artery into Grimsby, Cleethorpes, and other areas of the town.
Image from the Grimsby Telegraph provided by Lincs Inspire Library and Archive Service
Vital structural repairs are being planned to ensure the main road into Grimsby and Cleethorpes can safely carry traffic in the decades ahead.
The project, one of the most important of its kind along the A180, is being supported by £8-million of funding from the Department of Transport. This was secured by North East Lincolnshire Council due to the importance of the road for the borough’s economic and visitor growth in the future.
It will see essential work take place to three structures: the Gilbey Road flyover, Alexandra Dock bridge, and the Cleethorpe Road flyover. They all form the route into Grimsby between Pyewipe Roundabout and Riby Square with the main scheme starting at the end of February this year.
Regular inspections and condition reports have shown deterioration of the bridges’ carriageways and the underlying structures over recent years. The works will include deck repairs, bearing replacements, re-waterproofing, installation of concrete and steel safety barriers and carriageway resurfacing. Whilst there is no imminent danger, the analysis shows this work is essential to preserve the life of the bridges in the longer term.
Contractors, VSL, will be undertaking the repairs to the bridges, using 24hour working, to get them done as quickly as possible.
The first bridge to be worked on will be the Gilbey Road flyover from March this year. Gilbey Road flyover is the key bridge between the A180 dual carriageway from Great Coates and Pyewipe Roundabout. Work to the other two bridges will follow.
Advance work will be needed at the end of February (currently planned for night time working on the week beginning 26 February) to open up parts of the central reservation on Gilbey Road flyover to allow space for traffic to be diverted to opposite carriageways. This work will need to be done under overnight closures, so localised diversions will be in place. The bridge will open up again during the daytime, with restricted road speeds in place.
Additionally, the site compound will be created on the cycleway below the bridge. One section of the cycleway (between Gilbey Road and the flyover) will be closed to the public with pedestrians and cyclists asked to use the other leg instead.
The main works will start in early March. During the main works on each structure, there will be lane restrictions, overnight closures and reduced running speed being put in place to make the working area safe. In terms of traffic management, only one bridge will be worked on at once to minimise disruption.
Where closures are needed for the works, these will be overnight, with localised diversions in place, and the road re-opened through the daytime, albeit with running restrictions.
Unfortunately, the main works will be noisy as they involve removal of the existing tarmacking to get to the waterproofing layer, and then work to reinstate. Additional lighting will also be brought in for the project, which will remain on overnight to ensure safe working areas.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, Cabinet member for Highways, said: “These are critical elements of our highway system in North East Lincolnshire. If these fail, there would be significant impacts, both economically in terms of the amount of trade that use the route, but also for local people going about their everyday lives.
“If we don’t do the repairs soon, the structures will only get worse, meaning larger scale repairs, and potentially complete closure of the route in the future.
Cllr Swinburn continued: “Given the scale of the programme, it’s inevitable that there will be disruption to the highway network. VSL will be working 24 hours a day on the project to get this done as quickly as possible.”
If anyone has any queries about the works, please contact ProjectManagementTeam@nelincs.gov.uk.
From Wednesday this week, contractors from Premier Surveys will start carrying out topographical and utilities surveys ahead of the design of the Cleethorpes’ Market Place scheme.
This will help establish the levels of the road, paving and other features in the Market Place, and identify exactly where all utilities are laid in the ground so that this can be taken into account during the design of the new public space.
The survey work is expected to take a few weeks to complete. The initial topographical survey will not be disruptive, with contractors’ survey equipment located on pavements. Once the utilities surveys start, localised traffic management (temporary traffic lights) will be required.
The traffic management is currently expected to be operational between 6 and 14 February as required, over the five weekdays and also two overnights. Car parking bays will remain open in the main, however it may be that localised closures of spaces are required as the surveys progress. If bus stops fall within the working area provision will be made for these to remain operational by creating recesses in any lane closures.
Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of the Council, said: “We’d like to apologise ahead of time for any inconvenience, but the work is necessary to help make sure the baseline data we have is correct before designing the space for the Market Place scheme.
“The appointed designers, Gillespies, will soon be releasing information about public drop-in sessions where you can go along, find out more and help shape the scheme.”
THE former House of Fraser building on Grimsby’s Victoria Street West has been bought by North East Lincolnshire Council as it continues its drive towards town centre transformation.
Contracts have been exchanged today and the sale, which has been advised by strategic partner Queensberry, also includes a leasehold on an adjacent car park.
The prominent five-storey building sits within the council owned Freshney Place and with a high-profile frontage on 9 to 29 Victoria Street West, it has been empty since House of Fraser closed four years ago.
Continuing to see it unused was not an option, said Council Leader Cllr Philip Jackson, who has responsibilities for regeneration and the economy. This purchase, he explained, would provide yet more opportunity for the authority and its partners to look at the redevelopment and diverse use of Freshney Place as a whole.
“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 that is what we are determined to do here,” said Cllr Jackson.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to re-invent Freshney Place and complement its retail offer with the new cinema, leisure attractions, and fresh new market. The House of Fraser building will now form an integral part of those plans. This is a good move for the town centre,” he added.
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 has started on the redundant St James’ House with the E-Factor purchasing the building to create a business hub.
This is in addition to the Future High Streets Fund, and projects earmarked for Towns Fund money including the already underway full refurb of Riverhead Square, a plan for new housing at Alexandra Dock and the new OnSide ‘Horizon’ Youth Zone. The latter involves the transformation of the historic redundant buildings along Garth Lane into a state-of-the-art centre for young people.
Meanwhile initial work has now started with Queensberry on the multi-million-pound Freshney Place Leisure & Market Hall Scheme with its new cinema, market, and leisure attractions. More good news is the arrival, in mid-2024 of a Community Diagnostic Centre. The NHS facility in Freshney Place will bring thousands more people into the town centre every year – with such increased footfall through the town centre presenting more opportunities.
Public consultation begins with 1.1-million people, who are encouraged to give their views on the deal Proposal
PEOPLE living and working in North East Lincolnshire are being asked to have their say on an historic Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Proposal.
A new Mayoral Combined County Authority, (MCCA), is being proposed by the three lead councils in the area – North East Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Council (both unitary authorities) and Lincolnshire County Council. All three have voted to accept the proposed deal.
Now it’s over to the borough’s residents and others across the Greater Lincolnshire area, to have their say. It is important that as many of those 1.1-million people as possible understand what devolution means and how it could impact upon their lives, those of their children and families, and their businesses or organisations. Please go to www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/devolution or www.nelincs.gov.uk/devolution
Importantly, the MCCA is a means by which money is handed down from Central Government to be spent at a local level on what is best for all of Lincolnshire. The MCCA has the powers to decide its use.
There is no change to existing local councils in the area. Instead, representatives from those councils become part of a new MCCA alongside serving their own councils. One Mayor is then elected by Lincolnshire residents to chair the MCCA and lead talks with Government.
A new MCCA grows over time too – for the first few years, money comes down from Government in a number of agreed areas, but as the years go on, that grows – meaning more decisions can be made locally.
The initial Proposal which has been agreed with Central Government, pledges to:
The following has been agreed to allow the above to happen:
North East Lincolnshire Council Leader, Cllr Philip Jackson, said: “I believe, not only as council leader but also as a life-long resident of North East Lincolnshire, that this is the best way forward for us here locally and for Lincolnshire as a whole.
“For our young people to grow up here and have opportunities and good futures, we must look at how we can work together across our region to do what we know is best for us all and to have the power and money to do those things. This Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Proposal is a way in which we can do that, and we must grasp this chance now,” he added.
Lincolnshire County Council’s leader, Cllr Martin Hill, said: “This is an important day for the council and the county. We have negotiated an ambitious deal with the government that will bring benefits to our residents for years to come, making sure we don’t get left behind. I hope that residents will take the time to understand what’s on offer and give their views as part of the consultation.”
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “This is the single biggest opportunity to improve outcomes for residents in generations. It is a huge opportunity to create new jobs, improve skills and training, supercharge investment in transport and roads and back our businesses to drive prosperity further and faster.”
The consultation questionnaire, along with the Proposal is available at www.nelincs.gov.uk/devolution You can also go directly to the consultation questionnaire at www.letstalk.lincolnshire.gov.uk/devolution
Paper copies of both the Proposal and the consultation questionnaire will be available at the Municipal Offices in Grimsby, Grimsby Central Library, and the libraries in Cleethorpes, Immingham and Waltham from tomorrow (Tuesday 5 December) morning.
All the documents are available to be translated upon request for those who do not have English as their first language and in other formats upon request. The written documents and/or electronic media can also be put into alternative formats such as (but not limited to) Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, Audio, Video and Pictorial English. Please contact 01522 555222.
If organisations need more copies in different languages or formats to take to events please contact engagement@lincolnshire.gov.uk . Please note it takes up to five working days to get these through.
The consultation is open for eight weeks, closing on Monday 29 January 2024.
In one of the largest land deals done in recent years, North East Lincolnshire Council’s Cabinet agreed last week [30 November 2023] to release land to Associated British Ports (ABP).
The land includes 28 acres of allocated development land at Stallingborough Interchange, and two small areas of land in NELC ownership.
Pioneer Business Park (PBP) is a strand of the award winning South Humber Industrial Investment Programme (SHIIP) which has so far seen the Myenergi and HETA facilities developed on the site, with other projects in the pipeline.
Other elements of SHIIP include a new link road between Immingham and Grimsby which has unlocked development land and improved connectivity between the ports, and two ecological mitigation sites, the first in Europe, created to offset the environmental impact of future developments and provide a safe haven for birds. These innovative interventions have proven to be a key part in attracting large scale investment to the area.
Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader of the Council, said: “The sale has realised the opportunity to see development accelerated at Pioneer Business Park at a pace which is likely to bring with it a variety of benefits, including additional investment, facilities and jobs locally.
“I’d like to thank ABP for coming to the table with the proposals, and for creating what will be one of the biggest single developments in the area in recent times.”
ABP has also been working with other landowners in the area to assemble a wider parcel of land to concentrate these operations in. The overall deal will see ABP investing significantly to expand its port operations around Immingham after the purchase of the freehold of 227.5 acres at Stallingborough Interchange.
The prominent site is earmarked for commercial port opportunities including automotive, bulk warehousing, distribution and logistics uses, advanced manufacturing, as well as green energy initiatives.
In a prime strategic location next to the A180 and located two miles from the Port of Immingham and six miles from the Port of Grimsby, the designated employment site is one of the largest of the original Enterprise Zones in the area and is key to future proofing the continued growth of ABP’s commercial business on the Humber.
Simon Bird, Regional Director of the Humber said: “This is an important milestone in the future growth of the Humber ports. It demonstrates the need for strategic investment in land to facilitate the continued growth of ABP and to maintain the Humber ports leading position in the UK, as well as significant investment in the region for jobs.
“As demand is expected to increase for energy generation, automotive storage, bulk warehousing, and storage and distribution uses our space constraints within our ports will increase. This additional land will ensure the delivery of state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities, and technological innovation for new and existing customers.”
Greg Lacey, Head of Property – Humber, ABP said: “It’s always a challenge to bring forward a site of such significant scale and I’d like to personally thank NELC for all the investment in time and costs to get it to this stage. We now pick up the baton to bring to fruition our shared ambition to create a major UK port logistics development.
“This is a unique opportunity, assembled by ABP working collaboratively with NELC and three other landowners. The site is the largest development land parcel in such proximity to the ports, and of significant scale versus wider opportunities in the Yorkshire region. It is unlikely any opportunity of the same size will be coming to the market for some time. The sizeable investment we have made in this shows ABP is a key player in supporting the growth of commercial activities within the region.”
PEOPLE across North East Lincolnshire are set to be asked for their views on Greater Lincolnshire devolution from Monday, following a Full Council meeting this evening, (Thursday 30 November).
Members of North East Lincolnshire Council voted to accept the Greater Lincolnshire Devolution Proposal and that it be put out to residents for their views and comments for an eight-week formal consultation period.
Providing the Full Councils at the other two lead authorities – Lincolnshire County Council and North Lincolnshire Council – vote in the same way tomorrow and Monday, that consultation will begin straight away. This will see the 1.1-million people living across the greater county encouraged to have their say on the Proposal.
North East Lincolnshire Council Leader, Cllr Philip Jackson, who has led the devolution process with his counterparts in Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, said: “Tonight’s decision here at Full Council is another important step in our journey towards devolution, which is set to drive forward the right decisions and growth for the people of North East Lincolnshire and the greater county.”
As reported, the agreed Proposal was announced in the Government’s autumn statement – followed by a ceremonial signing by the Leaders of the three lead authorities and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Jacob Young.
The Proposal sets out a devolution deal that moves important choices about local investment, infrastructure, and training from Government to local decision makers.
The report to Full Council said: “Councils in Greater Lincolnshire have been working collaboratively to secure devolution for our area, to deliver the leadership required to address unique long-term challenges across Greater Lincolnshire, maximise the area’s opportunities to deliver future prosperity and to ensure that Greater Lincolnshire’s residents and businesses do not miss out or fall behind other areas.”
The Proposal outlines the benefits to Greater Lincolnshire that devolution will bring, which include:
Providing the consultation goes ahead as planned, it will run until the end of January 2024. There will then be more formal meetings to assess the consultation results and put a recommendation to the Government.
The result of that, if all is favourable, will see a Mayoral Combined County Authority, (MCCA) formed with the election for a Mayor in May 2025.
More details about the public consultation and a Q&A on devolution at www.nelc.gov.uk/devolution