Cleethorpes masterplan approved

The Cleethorpes masterplan has been hailed as one of the most ambitious plans to bring ‘immense’ opportunities to make the resort the premier destination on the Lincolnshire coast.

North East Lincolnshire Council cabinet has approved the ambition to make the town a year-round destination for staycations. The ‘vibrant’ plan could direct investment in Cleethorpes for the next 30 years, creating jobs.

It has been put together by award-winning designer Wayne Hemmingway MBE and will be used to launch bids for government Levelling Up cash and private investment. Cabinet said it presented an exciting future for Cleethorpes as they approved it.

Councillor Ian Lindley said : “This is one of the biggest set of plans in this area in living memory. It presents great opportunities for Cleethorpes and North East Lincolnshire.

“In the last two years, many more people are turning to staycations rather than going abroad. Cleethorpes has more to offer, and this will help people to discover the resort.

“The potential is immense, and opportunities like this don’t come along very often. If we can get it up and running, it will be a great asset for tourism in the area.

“The opportunities in this plan are immense.”

Not all of the elements in the plan will be achieved, but sketch out improvements that would make a difference in each area of the resort. One of the focuses is encouraging people to stay longer and visit out of season.

Council leader Philip Jackson said: “Our goal is to make Cleethorpes into an all-year round resort. The contents of this plan will go a long way to achieving that.

“We have worked closely with Wayne Hemmingway Designs to work out how the resort could change over the next ten years. We want to deliver for both living in the resort and those visiting.”

He added that the North Promenades was the area “most in need of regeneration” but was confident in the plans to create a bustling area full of independent businesses.

Councillor Ron Shepherd also backed the plans, saying: “This is one of the most vibrant plans I’ve seen coming from this administration.

“I am very pleased with the level of consultation with residents. 2,727 people completed the survey across the age spectrum, which is really record-breaking.”

The designs calls for significant regeneration along the North Promenade, including a large seafront event space and skate park, which would turn it into trendy youth-orientated area.

Other suggestions to make the most of the resort include pedestrianising the market square, an event space in Pier Gardens, camping huts along the south beach and creating a circuit of town centre shops, bars and restaurants. Elements of the plan have successfully been used to rejuvenate other seaside towns.

Councillor Stewart Swinburn said he had been struck by the design agency’s enthusiasm for Cleethorpes.

“Before they came to us, they already knew the resort really well. During the consultation, they told us they had never experienced such positivity and lack of negativity, which bodes very well,” he said.

“The responsibility on us now is to go and deliver on the plan. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.”

Mr Hemmingway said at the plan’s launch: “Cleethorpes has probably got more opportunity than any other place I have worked before. It has flown under the radar, but this couldn’t be a better time to talk about it,” he said.

“The town has got every aspect you could want in a resort – it has every type of experience available. We want to create a new legacy for Cleethorpes as the Victorians did before us.

“The North Promenade in particular is in need of some love, but everything that is set out in the masterplan is deliverable.”