ELDC to receive Sutton on Sea Colonnade petition

A 2,000+ signature petition aiming to save the Sutton on Sea's colonnade and beach huts is set to go before council bosses next week.
East Lindsey District Council headquarters.East Lindsey District Council headquarters.
East Lindsey District Council headquarters.

Campaigners will present East Lindsey District Council’s Full Council meeting on Wednesday with the petition.

They say they want the council to preserve the resort’s skyline.

They are calling for the council to repair or replace the Colonnade and beach huts ‘to retain the heart of Sutton on Sea’ and have previously criticised a lack of consultation on the plans.

Rebecca Dale, one of the campaigners, said: “Currently the colonnade is fenced off, huts are already being demolished and the iconic character of Sutton-on-Sea is being erased. Businesses will suffer next season if the central promenade remains a building site.

“We hope that councillors will understand the strength of feeling about this issue, and do the right thing in a timely fashion to ensure that the resort is not ruined.”

At a meeting of Lincolnshire County Council committee earlier this week, the county’s chief for economy and place Councillor Colin Davie said it was an ELDC matter to deal with, however, he said he wanted Sutton on Sea and Sandilands to be a gateway to the coast.

“Sutton On Sea is a key part of the coast, and Sandilands and SOS are adjoined and it is important to me that the northern entrance to the Coastal Country Park is vibrant and exciting and has all the facilities visitors need.

“We’ll be working closely with colleagues to ensure both are a vibrant place for the future.”

East Lindsey District Council says the colonnade in the town is unsafe following a survey it commissioned which was published earlier this year.

The survey identified what the council says were “serious defects relating to its age and design” which have resulted in the progressive weakening of the iron reinforcing beams within the concrete and the concrete itself.

Steel reinforcement within the structure is reported as being almost completely degraded.

The council wants the huts lining the top of the colonnade to be relocated.

ELDC says no final decision has been made on the future of the colonnade, but that the huts do need to be taken down.

A Facebook group called Save Sutton On Sea Colonnade and Beach Huts now has nearly 1,500 members.

A four-phase consultation on the future of the colonnade and a redesign of the area’s Pleasure Gardens is set to begin in January 2019.