NEW paving work in a section of Riverhead Square starts on Monday as a fore-runner to a planned major overhaul of the public space in central Grimsby.
The phase one work will focus on a stretch from the Victoria Street end, outside The Barge, up the river side to meet new paving that has been laid as part of the on-going Garth Lane project. Managed by North East Lincolnshire Council’s regeneration partner ENGIE, it is expected to take until early May, during which time barriers will be put up in the immediate areas for safe working.
This initial phase is being funded by part of a £1m Government Accelerated Towns Fund grant, which was awarded to North East Lincolnshire Council earlier this year. That was a forerunner to this week’s budget announcement that Grimsby was receiving more than £20m from the main Towns Fund Programme to regenerate the town centre.
The main improvements to Riverhead Square are now being finalised and will be submitted to Government for formal approval as one of the major projects on which a slice of the Towns Fund money will be spent.
Initial artists impressions have already been released. They show how the Riverhead could be turned into a major new public square that makes use of its waterfront, providing a canopied events space with new landscaping, lighting, signage, a river footbridge, and street furniture. Work to improve the water quality in and around the Riverhead area is also being explored.
The remainder of the £1m grant, with additional monies from the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s High Street Challenge Fund, is being used to fully plan the overall Riverhead project, along with the purchase of some furniture, lighting columns and other items to be used within it.