Plans revealed for £3.7m Grimsby Heritage Action Zone
Plans are set to be revealed today to establish the Greater Grimsby Heritage Action Zone, which will see the historic port and town boosted by investment.
The five-year scheme, led by North East Lincolnshire Council and Historic England, is at the heart of a ‘Town Deal’, a package of plans for investment by government and local agencies, including the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership.
The Heritage Action Zone will see premises in the Kasbah, docks and town centre given a new lease of life for business and community use. Historic England in the East Midlands will provide an estimated £620,000, with the rest coming from North East Lincolnshire Council and their partners Engie, Associated British Ports (ABP) and Humber Local Enterprise Partnership. The overall programme is already worth more than £3.7m, and could be boosted further by grants from additional funders.
The Kasbah was designated as a Conservation Area in 2017. Owners ABP, together with North East Lincolnshire Council and Historic England, are looking to exploit a living local tradition of producing smoked fish, and develop the area as a centre for artisan food.
Historic England will provide support and advice to the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust and partners to look at possibilities for the creative re-use of the Ice Factory, an important building at risk which stands at the gateway to the Kasbah.
The Heritage Action Zone will also promote re-use of historic buildings along Alexandra Dock. These include Victoria Mills, where the council has spent more than £2m on urgent repairs, including grant-aid from Historic England. Towards the town centre itself, further projects focus on repair and re-use of vacant listed buildings, such as the Cooperage, West Haven Maltings and Haven Mill, and creating open space for events and activities around St James’s Minster.
Louise Brennan, planning director for Historic England in the East Midlands, said: “Few places in England have as distinctive a heritage as Grimsby. The town holds a unique place in our history as a seafaring nation, and the evidence can still be seen in abundance in places like the Kasbah. The projects in the Heritage Action Zone are poised to release new economic vitality and pride in the town, and will help put the Town Deal into action. Thanks to its heritage, Grimsby can now look to the future with confidence.”
There are now 18 Heritage Action Zones in villages, towns and cities across England. They have been identified by Historic England as places in need and where the historic environment can create economic growth and improve quality of life for people.
Besides Grimsby, the Heritage Action Zones announced in December 2017 are located in: Bishop Auckland, Dewsbury, North Lowestoft, Rochdale, Stockton & Darlington Railway, Stoke-on-Trent and Walworth, London.
The first ten Heritage Action Zones, announced in March 2017, are located in: Appleby, Coventry, Elsecar, Hull Old Town, King’s Lynn, Nottingham, Ramsgate, Sunderland, Sutton and Weston-super-Mare.
