Mablethorpe set to receive £1.5million Heritage Lincolnshire funding

Heritage Lincolnshire, the county’s top charity dedicated to conserving Lincolnshire’s heritage, has secured approval for a major funding boost for Mablethorpe town centre, with complimentary funding to support the re-development of the Grayscroft site, courtesy of the Department for Levelling Up, Communities, the Connected Coast Town Deal Board and Local Government.

‘Town Centre Transformations: Mablethorpe’ will be the first grant scheme focused on enhancing the heritage of Mablethorpe, with a substantial pot of grant funding being made available to local businesses and property owners, specifically on the High Street, and will focus on transforming town centre properties through grants to repair and revitalise historic buildings and shopfronts.

It is also expected that this funding will be used to bring in wider investment into the town of Mablethorpe, with the aim of substantially improving the living, working and shopping environment for residents, visitors and businesses alike.

There will also be a full programme of community co-design and consultation to support the development of the project and to prioritise residents’ views in relation to heritage in Mablethorpe, which will take place on Saturday November 26 from 10am to 4pm, at the Coastal Centre on Victoria Street in Mablethorpe.

Matthew Bentley, Conservation Manager at Heritage Lincolnshire, said the charity was “extremely excited” to see the launch of the project:

“Mablethorpe has a strong and varied built environment, and more heritage buildings that might not be obvious,” he said, “We hope through this scheme we will be able to emphasise and enhance the town centre’s unique character.

"We are delighted that the scheme has also had a positive reception from business owners.

“The support of ELDC [East Lindsey District Council] for the project is instrumental moving forward. This scheme will deliver real and lasting change for Mablethorpe and I would encourage business owners in the town centre to come forward and work with us to develop schemes that build a legacy for the town”.

Lydia Rusling, Assistant Director for Towns Fund at East Lindsey District Council, added: “Heritage Lincolnshire played a key part in making sure our Town Deal bids really stood out; we recognise that we can’t hope to improve the fortunes of our towns without supporting our town centres and their unique heritage.

"We are excited to continue our work with Heritage Lincolnshire to deliver these proposals and to support local businesses in the regeneration of Mablethorpe Town Centre.”

Michael Ashton, chairman of Heritage Lincolnshire’s Trustee Board, added: “This investment undoubtedly represents one of the most significant investments in Heritage Lincolnshire projects in our 30-year history. It genuinely will transform and bring back to life historic

buildings in Mablethorpe Town Centre and will substantially benefit the wider borough.

"We’re excited to be working with organisations across Mablethorpe and more widely, across Lincolnshire, on this project and can’t wait to get started.”

Chris Baron, chairman of the Connected Coast Board, said: “This is yet another great project to gain approval through our Town Deal Funding which will see over £80 million invested between Mablethorpe and Skegness over the next few years.”