Eight schemes that reflect North East Lincolnshire Council’s priorities of business growth and urban regeneration have been submitted to the Government for consideration for Investment Zone status.
The authority has confirmed that it has applied to be a part of the Government’s new Investment Zones (IZs) programme – one of a series of measures set out in its Growth Strategy last month.
If successful, and it has been stressed that this is only the first step in the consideration stage, it will see approved sites within the borough declared IZs. This means they will be entitled to potential benefits designed to boost investment and development over ten years. The Government asked interested councils to submit their bids by Friday, 14 October (today). An assessment process will then take place before a decision is announced.
The eight sites in North East Lincolnshire were selected after analysis of the criteria, which focused on delivery and project start timescale. Larger scale industrial projects and medium sized urban housing schemes were identified as being most aligned. They are:
- Pioneer Investment Zone: To include Pioneer Business Park and the development of the CATCH site.
- Immingham Investment Zone: To include industrial redevelopment sites earmarked for energy production, including a green hydrogen facility.
- South Humber Investment Zone: This includes the business area and infrastructure along the South Humber Bank – the Humber Gateway.
- Moody Lane Investment Zone: To include the area known as the Future Grimsby Site.
- Europarc: The area includes part of Europarc Phase 3 and Europarc Phase 4.
- Grimsby Port Investment Zone: A mix of heritage and commercial opportunities.
- Grimsby Town Centre Investment Zone: This covers the town centre redevelopment area around Freshney Place, and the proposed waterfront Alexandra Dock/Garth Lane housing site.
- Western Investment Zone: The housing site on the former Western School.
North East Lincolnshire Council leader, Cllr Philip Jackson, said: “In selecting these sites we had to look carefully at those projects in our borough that would most likely match the criteria as outlined by Government. After much analysis, these eight clearly stood out as schemes that were most advanced and have the potential to deliver results over the next 12 to 24 months. If we are successful, then we have a real opportunity to effect change within Grimsby’s urban area, along with some big and important industrial projects along our Humber Bank.
“As an authority, we are also very aware of our unique location along the protected Humber Estuary and the environmental considerations of any project we bring forward. With award winning mitigation schemes already in place on the South Humber bank, our proposed IZ designations will build on the principle of mitigation ahead of development, ensuring economic growth and nature protection continue to go hand in hand in North East Lincolnshire.”
