December 15, 2022 11.30 am This story is over 28 months old

East coast Town Deal projects ‘gathering momentum’

There will be lots of progress in early 2023
The Sutton-on-Sea Colonnade redevelopment will be split in two.

East Lindsey’s Town Deal projects are picking up pace in efforts to make them a reality, the council leader says.

Councillor Craig Leyland shared an update on the progress of the projects which are hoping to make a difference to the east coast.

There is expected to be plenty of activity in the first months of 2023.

Some have recently been granted planning permission, while others are expected to be approved early in the New Year.

More than a dozen expressions of interest have also been submitted for the Skegness Foreshore development opportunities.

Speaking to the full council meeting on Wednesday, Councillor Leyland said: “In terms of Towns Fund projects, I am delighted to see that things are now really started to gather momentum.

“We have now received planning permission for the Campus for Future Living, and for the Cultural Skegness Scheme.

Designs for a Skegness learning campus have been submitted to East Lindsey District Council | Photo: Skegness TEC

“Revised plans have also been submitted for the Leisure and Learning Hub at Mablethorpe and for the Sutton on Sea Colonnade, and these are expected to approve early in the New Year.

“For the Colonnade, we are expecting to place the build contract in February and start on site in March.

“For the Leisure and Learning Hub and for the Campus for Future Living, we are expecting to sign off the build contract before Christmas and start on site in January and February.

“For the Skegness Foreshore, we have received 13 expressions of interest and these have been shortlisted to 11 for more detailed plans that are due back by the end of January.”

Underutilised areas of the Skegness Foreshore will be brought to life.

Mablethorpe and Skegness’s approved Town Deals, which were granted in 2021, are worth £23.9 million and £24.5 million respectively.

The redeveloped Sutton-on-Sea Colonnade is set to include a new café, restaurant, gallery and exhibition spaces.

Plans have recently been submitted for a £14 million learning campus in Skegness, and the Embassy Theatre is set to become one of the first ‘culture houses’ in the country.

Five underutilised sites on Skegness foreshore could also bring new audiences, with hopes they are transformed into concert areas or outdoor cinemas.

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