There has been much in the local press lately about the proposal by NELC to buy Grimsby’s Freshney Place shopping centre which has been in receivership since January this year.
As part of discussions into the future prospect of our town centre, GCDCS Executive Committee have only recently welcomed 2 Assistant Directors of NELC to our committee meeting and had a robust discussion about regeneration works progress and other issues. This meeting was before the announcement to acquire the shopping centre – mention of the Centre being couched as ‘positive news to come very soon’ – so what the news was to be, was news to us also!
Whilst the Executive Committee share concerns about the proper use of ‘tax payers’ money’ (to quote comments in the press) in view of the present economic climate, we would like to direct readers to the points raised in the NELC website:
- Should Freshney Place be acquired by a “passive” owner who is unwilling to invest to deliver a leisure scheme and future proof the centre, its anticipated decline would accelerate (GCDCS: if no other suitable buyer materialises, the prospect of the all-weather facility standing mothballed and empty raises the question where would existing tenants such as Boots, Marks and Spencer and TKMaxx relocate to?)
- Any such decline of Freshney Place would have a catastrophic impact on Grimsby town centre
- Grant funding from Central Government, including the Towns Fund, has already seen significant transformation in the town centre with projects still under way (ie Garth Lane, St James Square and the new Onside Horizon Youth Zone)
- To enable this regeneration to continue, Freshney Place must have a stable future
- Safeguarding against the impacts of potential closure, the Council’s acquisition of Freshney Place would enable it to use it as part of the wider town centre transformation more easily
- Plans to acquire Freshney Place by using the national Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) money will then mean bidding for replacement money to continue the FHSF work at the western end of Freshney Place and Victoria Street through the ‘LUF (Levelling Up Funds) Round Two’ process.
The full article can be found in News on Nelincs’ website:
https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/freshney-place-plan-unveiled/
GCDCSs Executive Committee feel that to do nothing and not get involved in Grimsby centre’s regeneration and improvement discussions, would be a recipe for disaster for Grimsby. We have therefore worked hard to forge links with various parties, to inform ourselves and have had input for a period time and continue to do so - both behind the scenes and as physical fact.
As a local group intent on encouraging pride and interest in our area, we urge you to consider what further decline to Freshney Place would mean to improvements which, if they haven’t already taken place, are continuing. We therefore urge you:
- to engage with articles on the topic (and also other topics!) within https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/news/
- to contact their local councillor with concerns and views
You might also like to find out further about what we, as a local group, do and either contact us via our Contact page or attend our regular public talks advertised in Events