Work to begin on £4.2m redevelopment of Grimsby’s Freshney Place Shopping Centre

The £4.2m expansion of Grimsby’s Freshney Place Shopping Centre is scheduled to begin next month, creating hundreds of jobs for the region.

More than a year of applications, meetings and negotiations followed the announcement of the plans in 2014, but now the work to extend the retail space of the centre by a 27,000 sq feet will begin in June.

When complete, the work will more than triple the size of the town’s Primark store, from 10,500 sq ft to 34,200 sq ft of retail space across two floors.

Amanda Austin, the director of Freshney Place Shopping Centre, said: “This has been a project long in development, but it was important that every detail was carefully considered and the plan absolutely right before the work could begin.

“It will lead to the creation of 250 jobs during the construction and redevelopment works and almost 100 extra retail jobs upon completion, and it will ensure that Freshney Place remains the number one shopping destination for people across the region.”

As the work begins, the existing Primark store will relocate to a reserved available unit so as to remain trading. The redevelopment will see the creation of new retail space at the centre from the car park and storage areas, with work scheduled for completion in 2017.

New fire escapes will also be installed, along with new frontages, whilst the centre’s toilets will be moved and new modern facilities installed as part of a £180k modernisation programme.

The construction work will be carried out by HCM Projects, part of Yorkshire-based Harris Construction Management.

Ms Austin added: “This huge development will help underline and strengthen Grimsby’s shopping credentials, and undoubtedly attract more shoppers not just to Freshney Place, but also the town.

“This past year we have already seen many changes at the centre as part of our ongoing strategic plan for growth. From the expansion of Costa Coffee and JD, to the arrival of Lavitta and the opening of GoCruise - the winner of our apprentice retailer competition – it has been an exciting 12 months for us.”

Ray James, asset manager with BMO Real Estate Partners, commented: “We have enjoyed a period of tremendous growth and success in the region, underlined by our commitment to invest in the future development of this scheme.

“The decision of Primark to relocate to the new premises and continue a long-standing relationship with us and the centre signals the beginning of a series of exciting developments at the scheme which we will be implementing over the coming months.

“Delivering a full scale Primark at Freshney Place shows the strength of the centre as the primary shopping destination for North East Lincolnshire, and the expansion work is a significant investment in both Freshney Place and the town of Grimsby.”

Mr James added: “We hope to add a substantial leisure element to the scheme in 2017 and are in detailed discussions to upsize more existing tenants whilst attracting new national retailers to the centre.

“This project marks the start of another exciting chapter in our history, and we’re tremendously excited for what the future holds.”