This Talk came about from GCdCS members (and therefore presumably other member s of the public) not fully understanding Engie’s role within NE Lincs Council. And what happened to GDF Suez and Cofley anyway? Winston Phillips, Senior Project Manager with Engie, got the job of speaking to us in January.
That Engie is a strategic partner of our council, was put into perspective by learning that the company has 170 such partnerships with other councils in the UK, employing 17,000 and is rated No.1 in regeneration services, reduction of carbon emissions and costs efficiency. That councils take on its services, is explained by the fact that for them to sign contracts for a certain sum means that fluctuating costs are not an issue. For example, a contract will be agreed on for a certain amount, for them to manage a particular project from concept, through feasibility studies, planning, building and onto completion and the council will not have a deviation from the agreed costs.
On July 1 2010 North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) and ENGIE formed the North East Lincolnshire Regeneration Partnership worth circa £155m over the 10yr lifetime. The services delivered as part of the North East Lincolnshire Regeneration Partnership include:
- · Regeneration and Growth
- · Strategic Asset Management
- · Strategic Housing
- · Highways and Transport
- · Parking Services
- · Architectural Services
- · Planning and Development Management
- · Environment and Flood Risk Management
- · Building Control
- · Strategic Planning
- · Security
That Engie is a French energy-generating company employing 160,000 world-wide, is mindboggling in itself, but within our council, as within other UK councils, Engie teams work closely to provide the services we think of as ‘the council’s’. for instance, locally, there are 6 Engie teams working in regeneration areas such as the Kasbah, and 2 teams on the SHIIP programme which is Winston’s main project – and one which he expanded on in this Talk to us, and illustrated with photos.
SHIIP or South Humber Industrial Investment Programme, the £42-million development is expected to ‘unlock the future success of the area’ and is the largest single project for NELC to date. This huge project is in 3 parts, the first of which is the £8-million, 2.5km Humber Link Road giving an alternative route between the Ports of Grimsby and Immingham, by joining Moody Lane with Humber bank industry at Stallingborough. The second part is a new 94-hectare Stallingborough Industrial Park with the necessary services (roads, water, waste, power etc.) with the aim of attracting new business to the area, and lastly, the creation of the largest mitigation site in Europe. This last, was new to our ears; when new land is taken up by industry, that industry has to build into its costs the producing of areas to mitigate the loss of land to nature and wildlife. SHIIP offers something new and extraordinary and therefore attractive to new business: land which is already set aside for mitigation – a public-accessible nature reserve primarily for migrating wetland birds which are so prevalent in our area. All this investment is expected to produce at least 3000 new jobs and generate significant Business Rates to pay for the initial works over 25 years.
The Talk was well received and Winston was thanked for by all who attended, leaving as they did knowing much more than when they arrived.
By the way - what happened to NELCs links with GDF Suez and Cofley? They are past names of Engie!
SM
Humber Link Road in blue; Grimsby's West Marsh is bottom right of the picture, Stallingborough Industrial Estate top left towards Immingham Dock East Gate
Speaker Winston Phillips on the left, thanked by Pete Milsom Executive Committee member
https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/council-information-partnerships/partnerships/north-east-lincolnshire-regeneration-partnership/
https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/early-signs-of-success-for-shiip/
https://www.engie.com/en/group/history-engie-group
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engie