By £50 million fund for Grimsby West relief road and housing development rejected by government
The £50 million Levelling Up Fund (LUF) bid for the new Grimsby West relief road and housing development submitted by North East Lincolnshire Council has been rejected by the Government, it has been confirmed.
The majority of the funding was set to be spent on the planning and development of a new 2.5-mile link road to the west of Grimsby, providing an alternative route from the south to the major employment sites along the Humber bank.
This would, according to NELC, “reduce congestion, journey times and vehicle emissions across the borough”.
The second aim of the funding was to open up land for a separate housing scheme along this road, with plans for up to 3,500 homes.
The plans for the road and housing scheme were first identified as development opportunities within the borough’s 2018 Local Plan – but the Government has now listed the funding for the project as unsuccessful, with an opportunity for North East Lincolnshire Council to re-submit a bid for the funding in the future.
The rest of the fund had been earmarked to “improve the capacity” of the roundabouts on the way into Grimsby and do “essential structural maintenance” to the flyovers in the borough.
It would also be spent on extending the Cycle Superhighway scheme and building a new bus bridge near the Europarc.
This news comes after a petition titled ‘Save the Freshney Valley’ was set up and protests held by a local group, who claimed the new road and housing development would cause a “decrease in green space, nature, and biodiversity, increase in pollution, light, noise, and traffic, detrimental impact on a chalk stream and blow wells, and the reduction in air quality and impact to physical and mental health of the existing community”.
In response to the funding being rejected by government, the Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, Philip Jackson, has spoken of his “disappointment”.
He said: “Our bid and the reasons why this investment was so badly needed, were well set out and properly identified and for that reason of course we are extremely disappointed.
“For us to grow as a borough, and meet our identified housing delivery targets, we need to see schemes of this nature, which will provide a balance of new developments and the protection and enhancement of our green areas.
“We remain confident that the Grimsby West scheme would achieve this ambition and the expected growth we need to achieve as a borough. We will therefore continue to look at alternative funding options for the future.
“It is also important for everyone to understand the benefits that such a scheme would deliver for the whole of North East Lincolnshire – both economically, socially and environmentally.
“Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has given their views on this scheme since the LUF bid was submitted earlier this year. As with any such plan, we must listen to all views and take them into account as we move forward, which we will continue to do.”
Contact Gi Grimsby
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk
Follows us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest local stories, breaking news and to join the conversation
