East Lindsey District Council announces £1.2m projects to be funded by Towns Fund ‘accelerator’ money

East Lindsey District Council have agreed two projects they will be looking to fund using the Government’s recently announced Towns Fund Accelerated Funding.
An artist’s impression of  the proposed Colonnade redevelopment viewed from the beach. EMN-200813-092157001An artist’s impression of  the proposed Colonnade redevelopment viewed from the beach. EMN-200813-092157001
An artist’s impression of the proposed Colonnade redevelopment viewed from the beach. EMN-200813-092157001

Having already been included in the Towns Fund, which provides the opportunity for each town to bid for up to £25million, it was announced in July that the Mablethorpe Town Deal area and the Skegness Town Deal area would be given £500,000 and £750,000 respectively to fund projects that could be delivered by the end of March 2021.

This Accelerated Funding is part of the Government’s £5bn investment in capital projects to support jobs and the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

At their Full Council meeting last Wednesday (August 12) , East Lindsey Councillors agreed the projects they would be looking to bring forward with the Accelerated Funding.

In 2018, East Lindsey District Council announced that structural issues with the 1950’s Colonnade in the town had been identified.

Since that time, East Lindsey District Council have been working with architects and the local community to shape the vision for a replacement structure.

In February this year the Council unveiled the latest plans for the replacement Colonnade which includes gallery space, new beach huts and improvements to the surrounding landscape.

The council will be seeking to use the Accelerated 
Funding to kickstart this project by demolishing the existing structure and completing improvement works to the surrounding area.

This will ensure the site is prepared for the redevelopment, which is a project that could be included in the Town Investment Plan that will be submitted to Government later in the year.

The District Council has worked with the local Place Reference Groups (PRG’s) for both areas in selecting these as the most suitable projects and will now seek sign-off from Government to progress them using the Accelerated Funding.

The council will continue to work with the PRG’s and the Connected Coast Board to finalise each area’s Town Investment Plan ahead of submission to Government in October this year.

Councillor Steve Kirk, Portfolio Holder for Coastal Economy, said: “I was delighted when we received notification from Government last month that we would receive this Accelerated Funding and I’m pleased that we have been able to quickly bring forward these proposals.

“The work in Sutton on Sea will allow us to start preparing the area for the transformational redevelopment we announced details of earlier in the year, and I’m hopeful that we’ll see these future works included in the Town Investment Plan.

“These are both projects that will make an immediate impact to each town and can now be accelerated to bring investment and positive change for our Coast.”