Grimsby shopping centre: Freshney Place revamp plans get go-ahead

Plans for a new market hall, cinema and other leisure facilities at the western end of Grimsby's Freshney Place shopping centre have been approved.

Work on the £31m scheme is set to begin this summer, North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee heard.

The former BHS building is due to be demolished in early 2024 to make way for the new market hall.

The plans also feature a remodelled entrance to the centre, which will be lined with food and leisure outlets.

Council leader Philip Jackson said: "This is good news, and we can now press on with our major plans to improve the town centre, to make [it] more attractive for people to live and work in."

The market will continue to operate from its current base until the new market has been built.

Mr Jackson said: "We have been working in the background with professional advisers to look at the stores within both Freshney Place and the market that are likely to be affected, and have been having discussions with them individually about potential relocation within the centre while the works are ongoing.

"We are also looking at how we can use any empty space within Freshney Place in different ways - potentially bringing more of a community focus to the centre to help balance out the changes to retail habits."

Last month, a bid for levelling up funds from central government for the project failed, but Mr Jackson said there had always been a contingency plan to borrow the money off the back of the rent the council earns from Freshney Place.

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