£65m redevelopment of former East Midlands theme park to create over 600 jobs

A two-week consultation has begun into plans for the £65m redevelopment of the former Pleasure Island theme park in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire.

Proposals by a consortium of developers, led by supermarket chain Lidl GB, aim to transform the 54-acre site off the Kings Road into a new holiday and tourism centre. This will feature 272 1950s-style holiday lodges, a 148-bedroom hotel and conference centre.

The plans also include various retail and leisure units including a “state-of the-art” Lidl supermarket, providing residents and visitors alike with access to the discounter’s “high quality and affordable produce” all year round.

The proposals include a family-oriented indoor gaming arcade, which is planned as part of a redevelopment project that will see a new fishing lake, cycle hire facilities, and food and drink units available for the thousands of people expected to visit the site or stay in the lodges and hotel annually.

One of the food and drink units will be provided as a food hall, a new concept for the local area which will allow startup restaurateurs to rent small kitchen spaces and offer out their food to a central seating area.

The scheme will also see the regeneration of a site that has been vacant since 2016, with upwards of 200 jobs during the initial construction phase expected to be created. This is in addition to around 440 full-time roles as the various properties are completed and taken on by operators.

Further, an impact assessment estimates that regeneration could generate an uplift of around £17m per annum of additional new visitor expenditure when the site is operational.

Working on behalf of the developers, planning and development consultancy Lichfields is currently seeking the views of local people and stakeholders on the proposals via an online consultation, which is live until November 28.

Senior director at Lichfields, Jonathan Wallace, commented: “This is a comprehensive redevelopment proposal that will bring an important and well-known local site back into use, allowing several leisure, retail and tourism operators to work closely together across a single scheme.

“A key focus of the plans is to create a sense of playfulness and fun for people with retro style lodges and other exciting aspects, which also provide a big boost for local tourism and the wider economy.

“We are consulting with local people, interested parties and stakeholders to showcase the many benefits the project will bring and very much look forward to hearing from them.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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