Renovation to breathe new life into historic port properties

Major renovation works are scheduled on buildings on the Port of Grimsby owned by Associated British Ports (ABP), with the first phase getting underway to ensure they are structurally sound.

The work forms another part of the initial phase to reimagine the future of this area of the port.

Buildings within the historic operational area are currently being surveyed which includes structural assessments and external mapping to show the condition of the roofs and facades, before moving on to survey the interiors.

Once all surveys are complete, a programme of work will be produced to ensure they are wind and watertight, with repairs made to roofs, windows, doors and brickwork as required.

Andrew Dawes, regional director of the Humber ports, said: “Our immediate priority is to keep everyone safe, so many of the buildings have been fenced off while the contractors are on site to allow them to carry out the job.

“We are trying to minimise the disruption while the work is being carried out, but our priority is safety at every stage.”

Greg Lacey, head of property (Humber), said: “This work now being carried out will halt and reverse the tide of decay after many years.

“We have been in discussion with North East Lincolnshire Council and Historic England on the steps being taken regarding the future of this part of the port.

“We are reimagining the area in different zones to see what it could look like and how it would work for different industrial clusters.

“We have committed a substantive investment to do this as we look to ensure the future of the location. It is proving to be of interest to many in the film sector and this is something we think works very well in Grimsby.”

ABP has been working alongside North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) and Historic England (HE) since 2017.

It was recently confirmed that a second round of funding for heritage regeneration on the port would begin.

David Walsh, principal advisor partnerships at Historic England, added: “Historic England is pleased to be working closely with Associated British Ports and North East Lincolnshire Council in support of a long-term strategy to tackle buildings in poor repair on the historic docks.

“Recent preliminary works to a number of priority buildings are an important first step towards making them safe, bringing them back into good repair, and reusing them to support local businesses and port activities.”