North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) has issued a statement following confusion over the status of the Pier Gardens redevelopment project, after an email was sent out stating that the tender procurement had been cancelled.
As previously reported, the council secured millions of pounds in funding through the government’s Levelling Up Fund to transform the Pier Gardens and two other sites in the resort. The project is expected to take approximately a year to complete, with some disruption anticipated during the busy summer season.
Earlier this year, a tender was released for the works. However, concerns were raised about the future of the scheme when a letter sent to interested parties – seen by Gi Grimsby News – confirmed the cancellation of the current procurement process.
The letter reads: “We are writing to inform you that, due to a need to revisit our tender documents, the Council has made the decision to cancel the current procurement exercise for the Principal Contractor Pier Gardens.
“Our plan is to restart the procurement process as soon as possible. We will notify all tenderers with the new procurement plans, timeline and all the revised documentation.”
In response, North East Lincolnshire Council has insisted that the project is not at risk. Officials said the documents are being revised and a new tender will be issued “as soon as practically possible.”
Addressing the letter, a council spokesperson said: “We can confirm this was sent out to interested parties through the tendering system.
“We have paused the exercise after receiving lots of questions about the tender, which shows a healthy interest in the project.
“The documents are being revised, and a new tender will be issued as soon as practicably possible.
“There is no risk to the progress of the Pier Gardens project.”
Part of the Gi Grimsby News team since 2020.