Ice factory project given the go ahead in Grimsby
A hotel next door has also been given approval
Plans to turn the former Ice factory on Grimsby docks into a live event venue have been approved which it's claimed will "revolutionise" the area.
Proposals for a 161 bed hotel next door were also given the go ahead.
It's thought the combined projects will create around 6 hundred jobs.
The grade 2 listed factory site with also house offices and the venue will have a capacity of a thousand.
The Grade II* listed building in Grimsby Docks will become multi-purpose including offices, research and development space for offshore renewables.
The Ice Factory closed its doors in 1990.
The venue will have a 1,000 capacity
Derelict since, its condition has deteriorated and it was put on the heritage at risk register in 2008.
In its future life, it will essentially be formed of two buildings connected by a walkway, and first floor links.
The south building will provide the conference, events and leisure floor space at ground floor, predominantly in the former ice making hall and refrigerated store.
The boiler house will provide food and beverage facilities, and the venue space is expected to be only used to its 1,000 capacity three or four times a year.
Office space will be in the first floor of the building and the ground and upper ground floor former ice making halls of the northern building.
There will be 149 car parking spaces linked to the Ice Factory. Its historic ice compressor room will be retained, with a full representative example of the ice making process, from start to finish, kept.
The Ice Factory scheme’s application indicates it is expected to create 552 jobs at the site.
It's thought it'll be a key part of the Docks regeneration
“This isn’t a proposal before you on a whim, it has been a number of years in preparation,” a planning officer told councillors on Wednesday, January 3.
Tom Shutes is the entrepreneur behind both the Ice Factory’s restoration and the planned adjacent Kasbah Hotel.
He said at the meeting almost a year ago he gave a private briefing to the planning committee on a masterplan for the Grimsby Docks area he owns. “I hope these two planning applications before you today make good on that promise.”
Mr Shutes bought the Ice Factory in 2021. He made clear the Ice Factory’s office and research and development space was pitched at the green maritime sector.
It would be “reimagined as a new centre for engineering excellence in the present day”. “I believe we’ve brought forward a clear and holistic vision for this part of the docks.”
Next door, at Auckland Road, is a vacant car park where the five-storey, 161 bed Kasbah Hotel will be built.
Like the Ice Factory plans, there were no objections to it by anyone and councillors unanimously approved.
Former Chancellor backs the plans
In fact, former Chancellor of the Exchequor Lord Norman Lamont commented on the application in support. “I feel this would be a very valuable addition to an area right for redevelopment and regeneration.”
It will include 40 car-parking spaces, food and drink areas, social spaces and a gym. It is expected to create 50 jobs and will focus on business tourism and supporting the professional sector. An applicant agent described it as “critically important to ensure wider regeneration of the dock area and restoration of the Ice Factory”.
“It works hand in hand with regenerating” the Ice Factory, said Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe. “It’s creating jobs, improving footfall in the area, it’s developing on a brownfield site, there’s no objections, what’s not to like?”
The two sites are surrounded by private, ABP-owned land, being located in Grimsby Docks. Prompted by a question from Cllr Holland, the council planning officer confirmed “discussions are ongoing” about making the area more publicly accessible.
It was indicated all sides desired to achieve this.