The tender for a regeneration project at Cleethorpes’ Pier Gardens has been awarded to landscape designer WSP, as North East Lincolnshire Council announces plans to develop a “space for quiet contemplation,” and “a better space for hosting markets and other entertainment.”
The authority began its search for designers to take part in the project last year. Now, it has appointed WSP, who has already helped to work on the Cleethorpes Masterplan.
The 14,000 square metre Pier Gardens area is the subject of one of the three Levelling Up Funded projects funded by a £18.4m grant, alongside Market Place and Sea Road.
According to the Masterplan, which was approved in 2022, the gardens are to be changed and refreshed to include new activities for children, a space for ‘quiet contemplation’, and to facilitate markets and other forms of entertainment.
The next stage of the Pier Gardens work will involve drop-in sessions. North East Lincolnshire Council said the final design for the gardens will be based on feedback, as well as ‘budgetary considerations’.
It is expected that the project will be developed over the first half of this year, with construction starting in the tail end of 2024.
Anson Forrester, from WSP, said: “We can’t wait to get going on this project. It’s a fabulous resort and can only be enhanced by the work in the gardens. We’ll be looking for input from local people in to take the works from concept to final design – please do take part, ultimately, these are your public gardens, and like the council, we want to see these used. The design of the gardens will be key to that – creating spaces that people want to spend time in.”
Councillor Philip Jackson, Leader of the council, said: “Cleethorpes has a wealth of assets that can enable it to be at the forefront of regeneration. Opened in 1885, Pier Gardens’ location is at the heart of the resort and the scope for re-development is vast. The area for regeneration presents a unique opportunity to create a space that will become an attraction for residents and visitors alike. The linear park raised above Central Promenade is a hidden and an underutilised gem of a public green space that could offer so much more.”
