Will Grimsby town centre regeneration help fill empty shops?

THE regeneration of Grimsby's town centre will help attract new businesses and help people get into work, North East Lincolnshire Council has assured. Yesterday, the Grimsby Telegraph held an online debate, allowing readers to ask questions of NELC. Here is a round-up of the debate...

WILL a £6 million town centre regeneration really help fill the empty shops?

This was one of the questions readers asked of the North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) officer Damien Jaines-White, pictured below, in an online debate at www.thisisgrimby.co.uk yesterday.

The question was posed repeatedly as readers were asked if the project – including a transport hub to replace the bus stop allowing space for Freshney Place to expand – will kickstart the regeneration of the town.

Readers listed stores that have gone under and empty units, questioning if there was any demand for more retail space when many shops in Freshney Place – which owns a large part of the town centre – remain unoccupied.

One person commented: "Will the addition of another large store have a knock-on affect on already struggling top town stores."

However, Mr Jaines-White replied that expansion of Freshney Place would only be allowed if they could be assured that "the net impact is positive".

He explained that "certain types of retailers" had struggled but that they would talk to owners of Freshney Place to ensure it was "the right kind of development" for businesses.

Lawrence Brown, partner at Scott's Property, also waded into the debate, adding that the units proposed are larger and could house the kind of department stores that may attract customers to Grimsby, rather than Hull or Lincoln.

Mr Jaines-White added: "The more spend we can keep in the area the better for the residents of the borough."

However, he told readers that details of the retail units have not been decided – although work on the bus station will start in May and finish in October.

There were also questions about the £6 million funding being spent on retail units but NEL Partnership assured readers that the money is for transport upgrades – and £4.3-million of that comes from Central Government.

But one reader repeatedly criticised the decision to spend £6-million on the project, while another branded it "a total waste of money".

Mr Jaines-White said: "The whole purpose of the scheme is to enhance public transport and the town centre together with complementary projects that help people get to work.

"This is important in terms of attracting businesses that want to locate in the area."