In our final feature on the £6 million transformation of Grimsby town centre, reporter Simon Faulkner asks the council's economic development manager Damien Jaines-White how the project will boost the regeneration not only of the town centre, but of North East Lincolnshire as a whole.
Q Can you explain the background to the project?
A The initial work goes back some years to when we consulted on the Grimsby Town Centre Masterplan. There was a clear steer from the people who took part that the bus station area could be improved on to expand the public space, increase the retail offer and improve the transport infrastructure. We put a lot of time and effort in to see how we could put these three sometimes conflicting factors into a comprehensive scheme and what we believe we have is a design that will allow the public to have greater access to the town centre, make it more user-friendly, and attract people and investment.
Q How will the proposed retail expansion support the regeneration of the town centre?
A Having a further retail anchor within the town centre will bring with it investment and a degree of construction jobs in the short term. Our commitment is there to expand the town centre and we will work with the new owners of Freshney Place on that basis whatever that expansion may be.
Q Given the current state of the economy, are you concerned that the planned expansion will have a detrimental effect on existing businesses?
A We will only look to grow the town centre, and the retail offer, on a sustainable basis. What we will not do is end up promoting endless retail schemes if there is no demand for it. We are not going to be pushing anything that is going to have a detrimental effect. The core retail area for the town centre is constrained by both the highway and the railway networks. There is a limited amount of expansion that would be able to occur in any event and we do see an investment that would enhance the retail offer as being important, providing it is the right investment.
Q How important are the public realm improvements?
A The project is not just about the retail expansion. It is also about having a suitable town centre which people can enjoy. The town centre has to have the right feel about it, and the new bus terminal and the public realm, complementing what we have done on Victoria Street, is key to that. An improved town centre offer will attract the investment which will generate the jobs and wealth for the area. It will also give us strong foundations to build on as we look to improve the public realm north of the town centre.
Q How do the changes to the bus station fit in with this vision?
A The key is to make the town centre more accessible and user-friendly for people travelling there by public transport, whether that be from North East Lincolnshire, or further afield. In terms of footfall in the town centre, we have our existing catchment which we very much want to sustain, but there are also growth areas such as to the south of the borough. That mix of demographic is exactly what is needed to attract investment. The new superstop will have an indoor waiting area with real-time bus information which will be linked to GPS so patrons waiting for a bus will be able to see when their bus is due before going to the stop, instead of standing outside as is the case now. We are also looking at how we can make that information available online, through either a website or an app, so it will become useful, not just in the town centre, but at bus stops throughout our borough.
Q How does this scheme fit in with the wider regeneration of North East Lincolnshire?
A The economic prosperity of this area – of any area – is driven by wealth creation and jobs, the retail offer, the housing offer, the place offer – that has to be part of the attraction to an area. In North East Lincolnshire we have seen growth in the food manufacturing sector, and in the offshore wind industry we are now seeing a number of organisations setting themselves up in Grimsby. They are the sectors we need to make sure we have got the right support infrastructure in place. But as well as making sure the right commercial infrastructure is in place, we need to have a place where people will want to come and live. That means having the right offer in terms of retail, restaurants and environment. These improvements will give us something to be proud of as a town, something that we can promote ourselves on the back of, and not withstanding current economic challenges, show that North East Lincolnshire is open for business, that it will not just accept what it has now, and that it wants something better.
ON THE WEB: Put your questions about the project to council bosses in our online debate tomorrow. Visit www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk from noon to take part.
