Heartland #1

QUALITY OF LIFE

> Beautiful beaches, stunning landscape

training for skills

> Flexible, industrious workforce

HOUSING

> Where any budget goes much further

Business and investment > Food, fish, ports, chemicals, energy

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

With infrastructure already in place, Grimsby is absorbing huge investment in renewable energy

Wind of

change www.northeastlincolnshiremagazine.com

issue#01_winter 2011

Working in partnership with North East Lincolnshire Council to support: • investment in key industrial sectors (ports & logistics, food & fish, renewable energy and process industries) • job creation and skills development • regeneration and renewal of our town centres and local neighbourhoods • investment in infrastructure and improving environmental quality

For more information, please contact Caroline Hopkins on 01472 326678 caroline.hopkins@bblivingplaces.com Origin 1, Europarc, Grimsby, DN37 9TZ www.bblivingplaces.com

contents

«

Introduction 07

05

North East Lincolnshire has experienced a transition and now welcomes new industries, such as renewables and digital media, while building its strength as the country’s leading centre for food processing.

Ambassadors 40

Projects 32

Housing 43

The region’s diverse industry sectors demand a lot of skilled workers. We look at how initiatives in North East Lincolnshire meet this challenge.

A round-up of major projects under way, from the regeneration plan for the area, to offshore wind energy and a biomass plant.

Quality of life 12

Residents enjoy the region’s attributes, from great beaches to beautiful countryside to a traditional seaside town.

North East Lincolnshire is well-connected and open for business too.

Training for skills 27

Three of North East Lincolnshire’s regeneration champions explain how the local strategic partnership enables services to collaborate for residents.

Relocating companies need a supply of housing for workers, middle managers and top executives. The offer is surprising and great value too.

“Traditional fish smoking ... is worlds apart from computercontrolled kiln drying. If it were in France, it would have an Appellation Contrôlée” Rick Stein

20

%

of the population of North East Lincolnshire originate from Danish ancestory

North East Lincolnshire and Balfour Beatty’s 10-year partnership is radical. Two senior players discuss one of local government’s most ambitious outsourcing projects.

« Markets 16

Fast facts and fascinating figures: office rents, house prices and property market statistics from North East Lincolnshire.

»

Partnership 24

cover story

Investment and business 19

Relocating global businesses need roads and ports, strong digital infrastructure and a flexible, skilled workforce. North East Lincolnshire’s success in attracting renewable energy industries is ahead of the game.

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

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introduction

07

From thriving fishing port to the country’s leading food-processing base, North East Lincolnshire has diversified and is welcoming a new set of businesses to its shores. Charlotte Goodworth reports

Next port of call

ABOVE: King John of England bestowed a charter upon Grimsby in 1201, empowering the citizens with certain rights.

RIGHT: A 1929 postcard of Grimsby’s thriving docks.

The straight-talking people of North East Lincolnshire are hardworking, forward thinking and immensely proud of their area. And they have a great deal to be proud of. This vibrant north east corner of Lincolnshire boasts Europe’s Food Town – Grimsby, the UK’s busiest container port and a popular seaside destination. It is surrounded by stunning countryside, is centrally located north to south within the UK, easily accessible from mainland Europe and offers a cost-effective, well-connected business location.

The name Grimsby is thought to come from the Danes, who settled here in the ninth century. ‘By’ meant ‘village’ and ‘Grim’ was supposedly the name of the fisherman who established the settlement.

Located on the river Haven, which flows into the Humber, Grimsby’s access to the North Sea enabled it to grow as a fishing village, until it received its charter from King John in 1201, allowing the townspeople a set of rights.

The 19th century saw another burst of growth as the port was improved and trade increased dramatically. By the 1920s, Grimsby was the largest and most prosperous fishing port in the world.

Today, North East Lincolnshire has a population of around 156,000 and the combined port of Grimsby and Immingham is the country’s largest by tonnage. Its history and character are well known and a good draw for visitors, particularly due to its status as an unplanned stopover for the Pilgrim Fathers on the Mayflower in 1608.

While fishing is no longer the area’s main industry, North East Lincolnshire has successfully diversified, building on its skills and expertise, expanding to become one of Europe’s biggest food manufacturing, research, storage and distribution bases.

Benefiting from a prime deepwater location on the Humber Estuary, Immingham provides daily access to the trade routes between the UK and Scandinavia, the Baltic states and mainland Europe. The port’s links extend to North and South America, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and the Far East with 60 sailings weekly.

With its strategic position and wealth of experience, Grimsby is a natural hub for handling fish.

Eighty per cent of the UK’s seafood processors are located here, as well as around 500 food-related companies, which is how Grimsby earned its reputation as Europe’s Food Town.

In November 2009, the town received a new accolade: the European Union awarded Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish – the region’s delicacy – a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). It is similar to the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in France, which is an indication of quality not just for wines but for dairy products, meat, poultry and processed foods.

Richard Enderby, chairman of Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group, explains the significance of the PGI award. “We were the 39th town in Britain to receive a PGI, and one of only four seafood producers.

Eighty per cent of the UK’s seafood processors are located here, as well as around 500 food-related companies, which is how Grimsby earned its reputation as Europe’s Food Town

›

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

08

introduction

computer-controlled kiln drying. If it were in France, it would have an Appellation Contrôlée,” says Stein.

The PGI backs up his claim.

“They cure their fish in the traditional way and smoke them in old kilns which smell gorgeous, and I’m sure this helps the flavour. They use only large haddocks and the result is a perfect balance of smoke and sweet fish.”

Mitch Tonks award-winning seafood restaurateur and fishmonger

ABOVE: Industry in close proximity to beautiful countryside, particularly in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

OPPOSITE: The North East Lincolnshire – South Humber Gateway.

One of the reasons we got the PGI was to highlight the premium nature of our product. We do traditional smoking in brick chimneys, whereas the vast majority of smoking in this country is done in kilns, which are electrically heated. Ours is a natural, slower process, so it’s a very green process. There is a lot of knowledge and expertise that keeps Grimsby as one of the premier fish processing places in Europe. It is not by accident that, despite the Cod Wars and the trawlers being tied up, the processing side is still very vibrant and progressive.”

Grimsby’s traditional smoked fish is world-renowned and is enjoying renewed popularity in an era when people are seeking sustainably produced food and have a greater awareness about quality. It has many high-profile fans, including Rick Stein, who has made the producers one of his Food Heroes. “I visited Grimsby in 1998 and was amazed at the skill involved in traditional fish smoking. It is worlds apart from

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

Fish is certainly not just a remnant of Grimsby’s past. It is rather what links the area’s past to its future. Adam Breeze, an inward investment consultant who advises international companies on where to locate, explains: “The North East Lincolnshire story offers a clear lesson in how places can evolve and adapt to the needs of modern business. The way that the area has transformed itself from its days as the world’s largest fishing port into a thriving and diversified industrial location, shows what can be achieved with the right vision supported by the will of local people.”

The opening of the £15 million Grimsby Fish Market in 1996, one of the most advanced facilities of its type in the UK, was a clear indication of Grimsby’s commitment to remaining at the centre of the seafood industry.

Recently, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills awarded its Cluster Mark to the Humber Seafood Processing Cluster of Businesses, highlighting their contribution to the industry and the nation’s economy.

With a 90,000-strong workforce within 15 minutes, access to the skills demanded of the food industry, state-of-the-art research

and development facilities and the largest cold storage facilities in Europe, North East Lincolnshire offers excellent opportunities for food-related companies. The area now employs 27,000 people in the food industry and is home to some of the sector’s biggest players, such as Young’s Seafood Limited and Kerry Foods. Local start-up businesses are able to access global market leaders in a way that would not be possible in a large city.

It is international trading links set up over the centuries that are proving vital to the future of North East Lincolnshire’s industries.

Breeze comments: “For centuries, traders have come from around the world to do business here, and that global connection continues today as people from Europe, America and Asia can be found working on the technologies and industries of the future, from offshore wind to aquaculture research. Major international names work side-byside with locally grown companies, to create a thriving and well integrated supply chain. These are exciting times for Grimsby, with its emerging role in renewable energy offering yet more possibilities for companies to come and thrive here.”

Indeed, North East Lincolnshire is taking the lead in investing and growing its assets to become capital of the offshore wind industry in the UK, with two of the sector’s

“Major international names work sideby-side with locally grown companies, to create a thriving and well integrated supply chain. These are exciting times for Grimsby, with its emerging role in renewable energy offering yet more possibilities for companies to come and thrive here”

›

09

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

10

introduction

“So many locations offer a similar and bland proposition to potential inward investors, but North East Lincolnshire really stands out as a place with a strong personality”

ABOVE: Chef, writer and broadcaster, Rick Stein brought Grimsby’s traditional smoked fish to the national audience, with his acclaimed book and television series, Food Heroes.

TOP LEFT: Seaside town Cleethorpes has a great beach plus sophisticated bars and restaurants.

RIGHT: Grimsby Fish Market.

largest players, Centrica and Siemens, basing their operations and maintenance teams in Grimsby.

There is also an exciting potential to attract off-site manufacturing companies to the area.

The chemical industry is another which has a significant base in the area. North East Lincolnshire is home to Britain’s biggest concentration of chemical companies and is one of the fastest growing bases for the industry, employing more than 6,000 people throughout the region.

There is also a growing digital media industry with state-of-theart production facilities at Immage Studios, which is also home to Propeller TV and Seven, the local television station.

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

The retail, leisure and tourism offer of North East Lincolnshire is currently on the increase. The seaside town of Cleethorpes boasts sophisticated bars and restaurants, while the plans for Grimsby town centre will significantly improve its existing shops, restaurants and public areas.

The area is steeped in history, and the Fishing Heritage Centre is a popular venue for visitors who are keen to learn more about this enduring cultural influence on daily life in the area.

Another special feature is St James’ Church in the centre of Grimsby, which was recently given the status of Grimsby Minster.

There is clearly so much going for this region, including some of

the lowest housing and business operating costs in the UK, Adam Breeze is convinced by what a good prospect North East Lincolnshire already represents: “So many locations offer a similar and bland proposition to potential inward investors, but North East Lincolnshire really stands out as a place with a strong personality, a proven track record and, most importantly in these austere times, a place where the numbers really stack up without having to compromise on quality.”

He concludes: “And how unusual to find such an industrial powerhouse nestled in a corner of the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside with its own stunning coastline and beaches.” ❤

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12

quality of life

Rich mix North East Lincolnshire is packed with hidden gems if you know where to look: the area has great beaches, a retail offer that is rapidly improving, and beautiful countryside. There’s even a light railway – and the world’s tiniest pub.

Estates Gazette markets editor Noella Pio Kivlehan explores

Praise was heaped upon the Lincolnshire Wolds by the BBC’s Hidden Britain presenter, Julia Bradbury, who said: “These fairy glens are like lost worlds in miniature.” Bradbury was describing the hidden chalk springs, in the programme broadcast in August 2010 in which she added: “The Lincolnshire Wolds aren’t well known but this gentle undulating landscape is just as picturesque as its more famous southern neighbours.”

For the people of the area, the Wolds are just one of the major advantages of living in North East Lincolnshire. Others include award-winning beaches, closeness to other main UK cities – Hull is 30 minutes away, while Lincoln is a 45 minute journey by car – links to northern Europe, vibrant town centres, continental markets, good value

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

property, social and cultural attractions, retail and food offer and several top schools.

Cleethorpes beach, with its four and a half miles of sand, won the Blue Flag Award 2011 and is one of the area’s biggest assets. From the Wolds, you can take in the entire western aspect – from the Humber, stretching right down to the Wash.

What the area has to offer has not escaped the tourists: eight million day visitors come to the region every year and the local visitor economy was worth £445 million in 2009, with £200 million spent on recreation and food and drink. Visits from family and friends account for 213,000 every year.

The importance of tourism to the region cannot be underestimated. Sue Wells, head of culture, leisure and sport at North East Lincolnshire Council comments that the industry employs directly just over 4,000 people.

While tourists appreciate some of the positive

13

MAIN IMAGE: Big skies and wide open spaces of the Lincolnshire Wolds.

FAR LEFT: Fireworks in Cleethorpes.

LEFT: Leisure pursuits – a kite surfer at Cleethorpes.

BELOW: Hich octane fun at Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes.

“On the back of this investment several stores, including House of Fraser and The Body Shop, undertook improvements to their own premises to reflect the new image... Development frameworks are currently being devised to bring details to the masterplan for the area”

points about the area, existing residents in Grimsby and Cleethorpes have found that its image is not as modern, or as appealing, to potential residents or new businesspeople.

Local businessman Malcolm Gourlay is a director of Ever Furniture, which has a retail business in Cleethorpes, workshops in Grimsby, and has been trading since 2006. While Gourlay describes Grimsby as a fantastic place, he believes it has an image problem. “It looks like a run down fishing port at the moment, which is in need of redevelopment. It used to be the hub of Europe when it came to fishing. But now, there are areas which are almost abandoned.”

Wells agrees, saying: “In terms of promoting the region, we are also trying to change the perception of the area. For instance, some people who haven’t visited Cleethorpes may still have the image of it being a postcard resort, but it is very much a 21st

century resort, as well as retaining its authentic 19th century character.”

Major changes have already begun, and more are on their way. Dave Ranshaw, Grimsby Town Centre Forum manager, says that during the past five years Grimsby town centre has undergone a dramatic transformation with the pedestrianisation of the main retail thoroughfare. Victoria Street underwent an extensive facelift with new paving, bespoke lamp-posts and a fountain.

Ranshaw says the work has been well received both by visitors to the town centre and the local businesses. He adds: “On the back of this investment several stores, including House of Fraser and The Body Shop, undertook improvements to their own premises to reflect the new image.”

As for transport, Ranshaw says: “The town centre is well served by rail, bus and car, with Grimsby Town station literally a few short steps away and a

›

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

14

quality of life

bus station located at the eastern end of Freshney Place Shopping Centre. There is ample car parking both within and around the town centre.”

Ranshaw says plans for the town centre will see further developments at the Riverhead Square, Cartergate, St James Square and the Grimsby Town station entrance.

“Development frameworks are currently being devised to bring details to the masterplan for the area and work is scheduled to deliver these improvements over the next five years.”

CASE STUDY: Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway

Along with all the regeneration developments the region is fast becoming synonymous with top-class education. The area now has five academies – Tollbar, Healing, Havelock and Oasis Wintringham in Grimsby and Oasis Academy in Immingham. Havelock, which was established in 2007, is sponsored by the founder of the Carphone Warehouse empire, David Ross.

Ross, who was born in Grimsby, says he became

“People like some of the traditional but what we have to ensure is that we retain the quality; traditional doesn’t need to mean that a place looks downmarket or tatty” involved with Havelock because he “wanted to broaden the horizons and aspirations for the children by providing them with much more than just their day to day school work.” He adds: “What we have managed to achieve is to create a new dialogue between the school and the community.”

Ross says the success of Havelock is measured by the percentage of students who have been applying to get in to the academy. “It has been significantly over subscribed,” he says. In the 2010/11 academic year, the Academy had approximately 900 students, equal numbers of boys and girls. Attendance has also improved, from 89.8% to 94.8%, in the first two years since it has opened.

Havelock and Tollbar were granted IB World School status, authorising them to teach the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Considered prestigious, the IB Diploma Programme, along with the new IB Career-related Certificate, will be offered to Form 4 (Year 10) students when they enter the sixth form in September 2011. “The IB has added an international element to the school,” says Ross, who adds that while the IB is important, “the overall changes in the philosophy of the academy are also important.”

And there is no understating the importance of changes in the physical environment in and around Grimsby and Cleethorpes. As Wells concludes: “This is an area where people need to come and see what is on offer, then they will see just what potential there is for business and a great lifestyle.” ❤

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

Since 1989, the famous Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway has been one of the area’s main visitor attractions. With an average of 150,000 visitors a year – and growing – it operates along two miles of track, overlooking the Humber estuary.

Run by North East Lincolnshire councillor Chris Shaw, the railway is the last of its kind on the east coast.

“Cleethorpes is a fantastic area. It’s the place where people can come and relax.

North East Lincolnshire is an area for the food industry and Cleethorpes is the place for tourists.” Shaw says he has clientele 52 weeks a year from around Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and beyond.

The story of the current railway began when the old Cleethorpes council closed the original railway, which it had built in 1948, as it wasn’t doing very well. “When the railway became available I decided it was too good an opportunity to miss out on,” says Shaw, who was working for a steam company in Wales at the time; and knew the area as his father had come from Cleethorpes.

“We have been running the railway, which runs from Kingsway station beside the leisure centre, along Cleethorpes foreshore and lakeside to North Sea Lane station at the mouth of Buck Beck, for over 21 years and we are still developing it today,” he says.

Shaw had to totally rebuild the 15-inch gauge steam railway. “When we came here there was no electricity, no gas, no water, but we changed that. Now we have permission to go for another mile, to take her right down to the edge of the small village of Tetney. It’s a lot of money, but we’re looking at it.”

As well as the railway, Shaw runs – what is claimed to be – the smallest pub in the world, the Signal Box Inn, which he opened in 2006 in a converted Stanton Sidings cabin. “It measures eight by eight feet, and we are able to fit in six people,” says Shaw proudly of the tiny pub that manages to stock a wide selection of beer, wines and spirits.

Other parts of the business include a bistro called Cafe Culture, the Brief Encounters Tearoom and the Station Master’s Gift Shop.

“When we came here the resort was just coming out of the last recession but we saw then that there were enough people wanting to develop businesses.

There are now new cafes, different attractions and new hotels. We have seen the amount of business increase by at least 20% over the last 10 years.

“We still have the old seaside image in parts but where my business is we have big open areas and new retail development. People like some of the traditional but what we have to ensure is that we retain the quality; traditional doesn’t need to mean that a place looks downmarket or tatty. “ To any business people considering opening in the area, Shaw believes that in coming to Cleethorpes: “You will always get support from other businesses as well as from the local council, which is very forward thinking.”

He adds: “If you look at the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area as a whole, I think that potential business people would be surprised at the depth of engineering we have and the quality of the local workforce, who are very highly skilled.”

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LEADING IN LAW IN LINCOLNSHIRE

Location

200 miles from London,

Edinburgh and Rotterdam: central to the UK and mainland Europe

Living and working

35%

25%

More than 30 different destinations from Humberside Airport, including a daily service to Amsterdam, Europe’s fifth busiest airport

of the UK’s rail freight traffic

Greater Grimsby has the UK’s

Immingham was the initial departure point in July 1608 for the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled to the Netherlands, and then on to America

DID YOU KNOW…?

TRANSPORT

Cleethorpes was voted as one of the top 10 happiest places to live in the UK – according to a survey of UK towns

House prices lower than the national average for a detached house

INDUSTRY

Grimsby is the closest major port to North Sea offshore wind opportunities

WHAT OUR BUSINESSES SAY

the facts

Testament to the past, present and future successes of North East Lincolnshire, we highlight the key assets, top facts and figures, which demonstrate how the area has built its appeal as a prime location for further investment, and its focus on creating an environment where new and existing industries and businesses want to locate, expand and grow

16

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

longestrunning local TV channel – Seven

50 years of process industries in the Humber area; 15,000 people employed in 120 companies

1,400 advanced

engineering companies in Yorkshire and Humber, employing 170,000 people 500 other firms involved in environmental technology

“Grimsby is one of the best operating bases we have at the moment. It is a benchmark for what we do elsewhere in the UK”

“I feel very confident that our area will continue to grow and play its full part as one of Europe’s most competitive regions to move, produce and distribute chemicals”

Jamie Rowlands, Siemens

Dr Glyn Hughes, Humber Chemical Focus

17

40 million

90,000

consumers within a four hour drive

Easy access to miles of unspoilt coastline and areas of outstanding natural beauty

Fast links to strategic road networks

The 309 ft tall Dock Tower was modelled on Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, Italy

70% of the UK’s seafood is processed in Grimsby

local people within a 15-minute catchment, or a workforce of 350,000 within a 45-minute drive

Three-quarters of local primary schools outperformed the national average; half the area’s schools and colleges outperformed the UK average at A-level

The Port of Grimsby and Immingham is the UK’s largest port by tonnage

Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish has a

Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), one of only 43 such products in the UK

500

food-related businesses

30,000 to 40,000

25% lower property costs

and land values than competitor locations, with ● Lowest average wage costs ● Lowest industrial rents ● Lowest office costs

passenger journeys each year from the heliport to and from 57 oil rigs in the southern North Sea sector

The Centre for Assessment of Technical Competence – Humber (CATCH) is a unique training centre for process industries

“We have got some really good people here. I am looking forward to working towards our vision of becoming the safest, most profitable European energy complex”

“Our Grimsby workforce is energised and involved, and understands the changes required by the business to evolve, with increased levels of engagement and satisfaction”

Mike Wirkowski, general manager, ConocoPhillips Humber Refinery

Tom van Laar, head of global technical operations, Novartis

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

investment and business

19

As the long-standing centre of the UK’s fish industry, North East Lincolnshire is synonymous with food. But thanks to the ongoing diversification of the region’s business community, commercial activity is by no means restricted to the docks. Alex Aspinall reports

Food for thought

ABOVE: The Humber Estuary region has traditionally produced fossil fuels; energy production is moving to wind power and other renewables.

ABOVE RIGHT: Europe’s Food Town – bidding starts early at Grimsby’s fish market.

The technology-savvy world of new media is about as far removed from the region’s traditional business base as you can get. Yet there exists a burgeoning collection of creative companies and individuals making their home in the scenic setting of North East Lincolnshire.

Notable among their number was Helen Philpot, the former BBC Look North presenter. Philpot was managing director of Immage Studios and Seven - the latter, a community interest company,

is the UK’s longest running local TV channel. Despite the region’s association with more traditional businesses, Philpot believes it is the perfect base from which to operate a successful digital company.

Much of this conviction comes from the digital infrastructure the region has boasted since the late 1990s. The area was one of the first in the country to install the superior cable-based communication infrastructure that many towns are still investing money in to try and install today. And this offers many kinds of 21st century businesses

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investment and business

ABOVE: Immage Studios is the state-of-the-art, independent trading division of East Coast Media, Grimsby Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s media school.

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

21

the foundations for success.

Philpot says: “Digital capacity has been slightly overlooked as an inward investment opportunity. And I think sometimes when you fence off digital with creative you ignore the opportunities digital brings to other sectors. I am a firm believer that digital permeates all sectors.

“If you are a global business and you are looking to relocate to an area with good connections in terms of ports and logistics, but you also need to communicate with your clients and customers, where better than to come here, where you can communicate in real time via video conferencing because of the infrastructure that is already in the ground? It’s not possible to do this in all areas.”

The region’s digital credentials, which are still to be fully exploited, will facilitate the further clustering of companies working in the sector. But by their nature digital companies do not work in isolation.

They are a welcome complement to any business district as they offer the vast majority of companies the opportunity to benefit in some way from their knowledge of modern working practices.

Energy is another industry not as closely associated with this region as food and logistics. North East Lincolnshire is now at the forefront of Britain’s commitment to increasing use of sustainable energy. Hundreds of millions of pounds are set to flood in, as more and more energy firms look to establish and shore up their operations in the region.

Humber Chemical Focus (HCF) is the member-led organisation which represents over 100 chemical and energy companies in the region; it was established in 1999 to support the chemical industry. In more recent years it has been accepting membership approaches from an increasing number of sustainable energy companies, and it remains committed to supporting business in the region, through its

concentration on networking, innovation, skills and training.

Chief executive officer at HCF, Glyn Hughes, sees the area’s association with renewable energy as a natural progression.

“The Yorkshire and Humber area have both been closely linked with the original fossil fuels supply.

Traditionally, it has always been a region of energy production and this provides an anchor point.

“And looking at the future now, we have the river and the sea and quite a lot of wind off-shore. The Humber is at the centre of a major agricultural area too, so it is no surprise that we are heavily involved with things like biofuels and other natural projects,” adds Hughes.

“We have many natural advantages in this area. And it doesn’t just apply to one type of energy business. It also applies to biomass, chemicals, energy, wind and tidal power. It is an interesting combination for a region of our size.”

Hughes’ optimism is not just based on anticipated future trends.

The first wave of energy investment is already powering a new era of success in the region. Vireol is pumping just over £200 million into its new bioethanol plant. It is anticipated that the plant will produce around 165,000 tonnes of ethanol each year, and will be up and running by 2013.

These new industries are bringing fresh business strength to North East Lincolnshire and are to be responsible for boosting the region’s profile on the national stage.

Any area boasting burgeoning renewable and digital business bases are likely to be able to look to the future with a certain degree of optimism.

But perhaps the most positive aspect of this story is that the region is not pinning its hopes exclusively on these growing sectors. Unlike many areas around the country, and particularly those north of the capital, North East Lincolnshire’s traditional businesses are also booming. The new sectors are arriving not as saviours, but as welcome complements to the thriving businesses that are already operating in the area.

In fact, despite the challenging economic times they are operating within, the businesses drawn from what would be described as the region’s more traditional sectors are enjoying a period of noteworthy success themselves. And this was neatly highlighted back in spring 2010 when Grimsby’s seafood sector beat off strong competition from aerospace, biomedical, and health and life science clusters to scoop the Cluster Mark award for Best Overall Cluster.

The accolade highlighted the importance of the region’s seafood sector, not just locally but also nationally and internationally.

Employing around 6,000, and supporting a growing number of associated industries, this cluster is the fuel that fires the nation’s seafood consumption. It processes 70% of the UK’s frozen seafood and 80% of its chilled seafood.

›

“We have many natural advantages in this area. And it doesn’t just apply to one type of energy business. It also applies to biomass, chemicals, energy, wind and tidal power. It is an interesting combination for a region of our size” The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

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investment and business

At Grimsby Fish Market, merchants scrutinise the catch before placing bids.

“There is a will among traditional sectors to learn from these developing sectors and to use their services. These are traditional businesses that have not had to use these kinds of technology before” It is also the country’s largest salmon processing centre and has recently been responsible for building new business links with emerging markets in countries such as Indonesia, China and India, as well as continuing to work with the more established industry partners closer to home.

The sector places the region at the centre of a lucrative and expanding international market, a position that cannot be developed overnight.

And those in the know seem to be optimistic regarding the potential for even greater growth in the future.

Wynne Griffiths CBE is chairman of the Humber Seafood Institute,

one of several initiatives designed to support the continued success of the region’s seafood interests. He has confidence both in the region’s position in the global market for seafood and its future in the sector, and he equates the strength of the seafood cluster as being of direct benefit to the region’s economy.

Griffiths says: “As a result of this industry we have the biggest concentration of cold storage in this part of the world and lots of other associated industries and companies in the area. You also have all the retailers: Grimsby is the destination for all the major supermarkets.

They all source the bulk of their

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

seafood from Grimsby and you have the knock-on effect for industries like logistics as well. Businesses competing within the cluster invest capital in the region.

“The seafood processing industry is the business base in which this region has the unique credentials.

People want to eat more seafood, the world’s population is growing, and people in the developing economies all want to eat seafood.”

The region does not necessarily spring to mind as being one of the economic powerhouses of the country. But its traditional business base is very strong – recession or not, the food sector is not subject to sudden huge shifts in market dynamics – and the renewable and digital sectors that are increasingly being drawn to North East Lincolnshire are exactly the kinds of companies that are going to thrive in the 21st century.

These companies, which seem so diverse in focus, are together to be responsible for driving the economy of the region in the coming decades.

But one of the most exciting

progressions already taking place is the way in which these companies and sectors are working together.

Helen Philpot is particularly eager to see this continue, and believes it will provide a useful foundation from which to push the benefits of working in the region.

She says: “There is a will among traditional sectors to learn from these developing sectors and to use their services. These are traditional businesses that have not had to use these kinds of technology before and it has been interesting working to help people see the benefits.

“If we are moving to a much more home-based society where people don’t need to come into the office everyday, then you really need to have good infrastructure because you need to be able to communicate with people.

“We have low travel to work times, a very good standard of living, good salaries and an innovative health service. It is all about locking in to some of these key factors that perhaps people are not aware of.

Anyone can operate from here.” ❤

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partnership

Together we’re stronger North East Lincolnshire Council’s groundbreaking partnership with global giant Balfour Beatty is already paying dividends. So how does it work?

And what are the advantages for potential investors? Two of the partnership’s leading players spoke to Siobhán Crozier In April 2010, North East Lincolnshire Council entered a £250 million, 10-year contract with Balfour Beatty to deliver the sustainable development the area needs. By working with the private sector, the council hopes to deliver a more responsive and efficient planning service, driven by a clear and overarching vision rather than detailed policy, to engage future growth and break down barriers in the system.

Under the contract Balfour Beatty is delivering a package of services spanning regeneration, highways, transport and planning, asset management and architectural support. In July 2010, 300 council staff transferred to Balfour Beatty, and while the economic climate has changed since then – with a great reduction in the amount of government funding available – the fundamental principles behind a successful partnership remain the same.

According to Caroline Hopkins, regional director of Balfour Beatty Living Places, it’s all about getting the basics right. “First of all, we had to work together to really understand what we were setting out to achieve, and investigate what the council wanted us to deliver,” she says. “We went on to develop strategies for the next 12 months, five years, and 10 years so that there was a really clear understanding between ourselves of what it is we’re setting up and trying to do.

“At all times, we have to ensure we’re treating each other with respect, behaving openly and honestly, and dealing with issues as they arise, quickly and effectively.”

Jason Longhurst is head of development at the council. For him, the partnership has enabled greater understanding of the asset – the nature, number and potential of the sites in the area. “This has never really been clearly looked at,” he says. “Balfour Beatty allows us to really look at how that asset can then be our future potential. So, while we have a lot of nice strategies, what Balfour Beatty brings us is actually delivery programmes.

“The other driving aspect is that rather than chasing funding, we’re now all about creating an environment for investment. One practical outcome of this is that we already have a much clearer and better-defined local transport plan than previously.

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

“We are also ahead of the game nationally in putting very fineline statutory links to services,” adds Longhurst. “This will mean much greater clarity around our planning, which is always a bit of a murky area, and much better communication. Housing, for example, the partnership-based integrated team will be much more responsive, affecting everything from ensuring enforcement is more joined up, right through to how to bring on board key developer partners to run our key sites.”

Bringing these investors in is vital for the success of North East Lincolnshire. Making life easier for them is the main priority for the partnership. To help get projects off the ground, it needs to be easy to do business with the council.

Longhurst says: “Firstly, we have to make clear the current and future potential for investment: how many sites we’ve got for development (for example, ascertaining a total of 120 hectares of brownfield sites), what we would like to do with them, and our approach to planning. We want to give a really clear picture of what we expect, and have a transparent approach in pre-application discussions.”

“Ultimately, the idea is to ensure that developers find previously cumbersome processes are now quicker,” agrees Hopkins. “To this end Balfour Beatty has been running a project for a few months to really look at how we deal with the developers and how we process planning applications.”

One hugely important change has been that instead of working in the traditional silos of planning, regeneration, housing or transport, the management team of the

“It allows us to have the right professionals in the right place as we lead the project”

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services transferred to Balfour Beatty all work in one team, meaning that they deal with a whole project rather than just a part of it.

This will greatly help investors. As Hopkins says: “Whoever a developer initially contacts, they will have the knowledge and understanding of the bigger picture to enable them deal with the developer in the right way, and involve the right people.”

Another vital aspect is having the massive skills resource of Balfour Beatty at the partnership’s disposal. Longhurst says: “While other authorities may struggle with the right skillset for a certain sector or a specific development, because we’re backed up with the whole weight of Balfour Beatty, it allows us to have the right professionals in the right place as we lead the project.”

And it’s not just about Balfour Beatty. The partnership can also bring in other partners from other specialist firms. Hopkins says: “It’s about who can best help to deliver some of these huge projects. We’re working with Atkins and our own consultancy business, Parsons Brinckerhoff, among others. This builds up a skill base, allows skills transfer to staff from the council, and ensures we get the right people in at the right time. Furthermore, it helps to build capacity for the future.”

It also means the council doesn’t have to employ people with specific skills on a long-term basis – it can bring in people as and when they’re needed. The capacity is flexible to fit the project at the time, expanding or contracting as necessary.

One such example is off-site manufacturing, a particular interest of Longhurst’s. As he says: “I don’t want to hire two people that know all about that. I would prefer just to bring that resource in specifically for two days, then have

them on stand-by until such a time as we have interest in that field.”

Although the partnership has been running for less than two years, the results so far have been startling.

Already, the council is 36% quicker at repairing street lights, 98% of property repairs are completed on time, and it’s undertaking £4 million of improvement to roads and footpaths. But the biggest achievement has to be the 40% reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the road, a figure already well exceeding the partnership’s target.

Hopkins says: “Such results aren’t just down to Balfour Beatty. We can only deliver high targets like that by working with all the partners involved – the council, the police, the Highways Agency and schools – so that everyone helps to change behaviour.”

For Longhurst, the strength of the new partnership was demonstrated by its highways section sailing through last winter, the worst for 46 years in the area.

He says: “We maintained supplies at high levels and our repairs were within our prescribed time periods. It said a lot that we were able to achieve that when other areas failed miserably during that period.”

Looking forward, some big regeneration projects are set to take off in the next 12 months, as another £55 million of inward investment is delivered. The headline project will be the public realm scheme on Freeman Street, which will link this once thriving commercial area back to the town centre.

For the future, the main target for inward investment is housebuilders. “We need to make sure that we have got a clear housing offer and we allow our communities to be able to grow again,” says Longhurst, “and be better connected to where the employers are.

“From an employment perspective, we need to make sure that they are aware of the skills and workforce we have, but also that we can grow that and support their business. We also need to address retention of business, because it doesn’t cost a lot to move office these days, and it doesn’t take a lot to tempt them to go elsewhere.”

Hopkins agrees it’s a two-pronged attack. “We are identifying the most appropriate partners in North East Lincolnshire’s various sectors – chemicals, seafood, renewables – and working with them to encourage inward investment opportunities.

Meanwhile, we are also working with developers, and getting people to see what a fantastic area North East Lincolnshire can be.” ❤

North East Lincolnshire: the 10-year regeneration plan • secure over 4,200 jobs • deliver regeneration and renewal projects incorporating 3,500 new and improved homes • reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads by 33% (adults) and 50% (children) [this target has already been beaten] • attract £170 million of public and private investment in development projects and £400 million of inward investment • provide training, apprenticeships and work placements for 400 local children and young people • reduce carbon emissions of the services by 20%

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

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training for skills

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Tooled up, work ready North East Lincolnshire is a hub for diverse industry sectors, all bringing specific demands for skilled workers.

The regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employers are well served by innovative and flexible training providers. Adrienne Margolis reports

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Training for skills

TOP, MIDDLE and OPPOSITE: CATCH simulates the industrial environment.

BOTTOM: Apple Mac studio at Grimsby Institute’s East Coast Media facility.

If the coalition government is looking for education and training initiatives that will tailor skills to an area’s business requirements, there are plenty of examples in North East Lincolnshire.

The Grimsby Institute operates from 30 different premises in the region and caters to 4,500 adults each year. “We help adults to access further education and help them to reskill. We do this through operating in town centres and community venues that are less intimidating and more accessible than traditional learning centres,” explains Andrew Goudie, the Institute’s executive director of projects, policy and local enterprise growth initiative (LEGI).

The Grimsby Institute also helps to set up social enterprises – for example, to support people with disabilities into work.

The Institute takes learning into the workplace as well as the community. Tutors and assessors go into factories and help with further and higher education provision – increasingly, work based projects are being offered. They bring in mentors to help improve aspects of a business such as production line efficiency. This chimes with the government strategy announced in July 2010, which stresses the provision of learning that improves

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

business performance. One aim of the strategy is to get more funding for this type of education from the private sector.

Goudie says that North East Lincolnshire has traditionally been a low skills economy, and what is now needed is the right business environment to upgrade the skills of the workforce. The Institute will help to maintain a supply of skilled labour to the region by providing a new £20 million University Centre, featuring lecture theatres, research facilities, laboratories, and TV and radio studios.

“At the moment people leave the area for higher education and don’t come back. Our priorities for the next four years are to build the new centre and encourage people to stay,” Goudie says. “We are the third largest employer in the region, so we make a significant contribution to the skills needed for regeneration.”

Vocational skills are also provided by the innovative Centre for Assessment of Technical Competence – Humber, known as CATCH. It was set up to meet the need for skilled workers for the chemical engineering sector, and to provide industry-led training in a realistic setting. A full-scale plant simulates the environment in which engineers in chemicals and allied trades will work, and training providers are chosen by industry. General manager Clive Rounce comes from a background in manufacturing. “The authentic scale that we offer is unique,” he says.

“The idea is to deliver training and practice through real-world tasks in real-world conditions.”

The idea to set up CATCH came from local industries that were aware of the demographic problems and skill shortages in the region.

North East Lincolnshire promotes investment into the region and provided support. “The council owns our facility but it’s very much a public-private partnership. We’re

an independent, not-for-profit organisation operating out of the building on a long-term lease,” Rounce says. The council provided the capital for construction and matched funding was raised but in its day-to-day operations, CATCH is self-sufficient. “It’s a commercial operation which stands or fails by providing what customers need.

We stand on our own feet by selling our services, and we charge fees for access to the facilities, such as hiring rooms or running programmes.”

A key to the success of CATCH is its close links with industry; because resident training providers are chosen by industry, that training is geared to business needs. “We want to tell employers that they have a choice,” Rounce explains.

Peter Lowsley formerly worked for BP and is now at CATCH. “In 2004 we succeeded in a BP bid to bring in Angolan nationals to train as apprentices. Very specific skills were needed. They worked on a floating production platform, essentially a boat with similar equipment to an oil rig. BP was the training provider and the students came to CATCH.” The bid was won because of the CATCH facilities, Lowsley says.

The first year of the course involved training, working closely with Hull College to provide a standard apprenticeship course. The trainees gained practical experience and an NVQ qualification. “They then went back to Angola or to other parts of the world. Some ended up mentoring their peers as production technicians, while others went on to do research, or to work in health and safety.”

The original plan had been to get BP’s Angolan facility staffed by a workforce of 90% Angolan nationals. “The training was hugely beneficial,” says Lowsley. “Through CATCH, we managed to train more than 20 people each year.”

This course was the basis for an apprenticeship scheme now run by CATCH for local young people, and it is in huge demand. “The latest group started in September 2009.

We have 27 on that course and 21 of them have already been picked up by companies,” Lowsley says.

Despite the recession, there

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Training for skills

TOP: Hands on training at CATCH. ABOVE: The Grimsby University Centre new building for The Grimsby Institute.

are expansion plans for CATCH. Planning permission for more facilities has been granted and construction is about to commence.

In addition to the existing plant, office and conference block, another engineering workshop will provide mechanical, electrical, instrument maintenance trades and other specialist training. A new process building will connect to the existing process plant, while an access skills centre will provide experience of working with scaffolding, rope access and working at heights. “We are very keen for the expansion to happen because we are at maximum capacity and we need more workshops,” Lowsley explains.

“The direction of CATCH is set by industry, so the board and industrial group have developed a facility and programme that is used to adapting to economic circumstances,” Rounce says. He points out that construction and maintenance skills are easily transferable to other sectors. “We have training providers adapting programmes and we are keen to talk to parties coming into the area.

We understand their needs and the facilities they require.” The key is to expand to meet the needs of existing industry but also to be mindful of the new sectors like renewable energy. “This is really important for the Humber region,” says Rounce. “Companies are investing in renewables such as biodiesel and biofuels. We’ve also got potential for offshore wind companies to develop in this region.”

The regional development authority, Yorkshire Forward, was

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

very supportive but was wound up by the government. Tony Ogden is chairman of Humber Chemical Focus, of which CATCH is a wholly owned subsidiary. He has been on the team lobbying for an expansion in funding. “We are looking into the formation of the local enterprise partnership that will succeed the regional development authority,” he says. “There are opportunities for the Humber region to become an industrial and economic entity.

It’s sensible to focus on that and to support facilities like CATCH.”

going to be difficult in the current economic climate. “We are currently working with 571 unemployed people and so far we have helped around 80 people into jobs. Already the claimant rate has been reduced,” she points out.

“Particularly in a recession, people further away from the labour market are pushed even further away,” she adds. “Because our clients generally have not worked for a long while, we have to get them into a position where they can compete with people in the labour market.” The solution has been to give each person a key worker who helps them with all the aspects of the programme. “It is a complete service,” Fitzgerald says.

Employer involvement is an equally important part of the programme and job creation is a major priority.

This is where the programme is developing new projects to create employment opportunities with private sector employers, such as the Changeworks scheme, which offers incentives for apprenticeships and ways to encourage investment into the region.

“We are working with the private sector to determine what skills they will need in the future and where we need to invest,” Fitzgerald says.❤

The need to create new jobs is also high on the agenda for the Change Programme, the scheme that is designed to help the longterm unemployed into work by addressing difficulties that they may face in several aspects of their lives. “It is a 10-year strategy, focused on helping people access employment through improving their skills and on improving job availability,” says programme manager Andrea Fitzgerald.

One strand of the scheme trains residents and service providers to inspire others. It helps people to find work and to reduce dependence on benefits. An empowerment programme also helps to build people’s confidence and to develop the basic skills to find work, while an enabling programme supports people as they move from benefits into paid work.

The Change Programme went live in spring 2010 and aims to help 750 people over its first three years. Fitzgerald admits that this is

“The direction of CATCH is set by industry, so the board and industrial group have developed a facility and programme that is used to adapting to economic circumstances”

Heartland partners group Joining together to support North East Lincolnshire

Coldwater www.coldwater.co.uk 0147 232 1100 Franklin College www.franklin.ac.uk college@franklin.ac.uk Henry Boot Construction www.henrybootconstruction.co.uk Istithmar P&O Estates www.ipoestates.com 0207 901 4200 Knight Frank Alex Munro alex.munro@knightfrank.com 3Fox International Paul Gussar paul@3foxinternational.com

For more information about these companies, visit www.northeastlincolnshiremagazine.com/links

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projects

change of view North East Lincolnshire can draw upon its key assets to help create the right environment for investment. The area has infrastructure, sites, premises and a skilled and flexible workforce, supported by innovative training provision, all serving to attract major employers and new industries to relocate. The Regeneration Partnership has devised the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan, setting out how transformation will be delivered. We look at the plan and some of the significant projects under way in North East Lincolnshire. / The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

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A wider vista – North East Lincolnshire capitalises on its industrial past, adapting to the needs of new sectors, positioning itself as Europe’s Food Town. There’s an even bigger picture, with renewable energy and digital industries joining existing activities.

The regeneration magazine for Lincolnshire/

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projects

Regeneration plan: a policy framework

Skills for North East Lincolnshire

Regeneration plan By increasing business opportunities, raising educational attainment and improving opportunity, North East Lincolnshire could create or protect 7,000 jobs, and attract £600 million of private sector investment by 2020, according to Growth and Prosperity in North East Lincolnshire, the regeneration plan for the area devised by North East Lincolnshire Council and Balfour Beatty.

The regeneration plan is key to clearly communicating the area’s assets to the business world as well as helping the council understand the potential it has available. Additionally, it enables the council to showcase the investment opportunities it will be using to create an attractive environment for people to live, work and spend their leisure time.

It sets out a series of catalytic projects, which will ensure North East Lincolnshire is able to raise its profile on both the national and international stage.

The council aims to support the private sector to grow business and create employment opportunities as well as develop the capacity and strengths of each sector.

Working with the private sector will ensure the council has the infrastructure, facilities and support services for business growth and sustainability.

There are plans to put training programmes in place to create a workforce that can meet business needs so local people can take advantage of the job opportunities ensuing from successful investment.

Local Development Framework – Core Strategy

New Horizons

Pillars 1

2

3

4

5

Marketing & Promotion

Economy

Environment

People

Policy

Priorities

Challenges / Key Sectors Actions

Projects

This is underpinned by the council’s strong confidence in its policies and the mindset that North East Lincolnshire is a place where business can thrive, investment is both encouraged and supported, and development is enabled.

It is also vital to exploit the industrial sectors that have scope for substantial growth over the long term. The South Humber Bank is the engine room for industry in North East Lincolnshire. A key stimulus for job growth, it will continue to be promoted as the focal point for future investment.

Good quality new housing is needed, with activity focused on

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

improving housing conditions in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, tackling empty homes and other derelict property.

Regeneration plan projects echo the aims of the 2006 New Horizons Strategy, structured around five ‘pillars’ of activity: ■ marketing and promotion – increasing awareness of the opportunities the area has to offer ■ performing economy – creating the infrastructure and business support to help encourage growth ■ physical environment – making it the sort of area people want to live, with the right industry, housing and leisure provision ■ people and partnerships – addressing poor educational

attainment, the legacy of low skills / low wages, and the low rate of enterprise ■ enabling policy environment – setting out the spatial land use policy to define development opportunities of interest to prospective investors Projects include: a renewables hub; schemes to transform Grimsby town centre; major housing renewal schemes at East Marsh and Freeman Street; expanding the CATCH training facility; and producing guidance on infrastructure delivery.

The regeneration partnership is producing detailed plans, working closely with the private sector and developing bids for funding.

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CATCH The nationally recognised Centre for the Assessment of Competence – Humber (CATCH) is expanding into a £3.3 million third phase this year.

Based in Stallingborough, the centre has offered training in engineering, process operation, business improvement and management since 2006. It trains current and potential process and chemical industries staff on full-scale plant and machinery, offering authentic industrial training in a replicated ‘real world’ working environment.

This allows training to take place in an environment that is free from the hazards associated with process industries.

CATCH collaborates with the industry to develop innovative training and assessment methods, offering apprentices insight and knowledge from industry professionals throughout their course.

The extension programme will include an 800sq m workshop, an access training building for courses on ‘working at height’, and a second three-storey chemical process unit.

Importantly, the new facilities will also enable the site to offer a greater range of training in the renewables sector. This will help to enhance North East Lincolnshire’s reputation as a centre of excellence for skills training in this area.

The project will double the capacity for apprentices and contribute to some 300 new apprenticeships at CATCH over the next five years. It strengthens economic growth by increasing the number of locally trained and skilled workers available. In turn they will meet the needs of current and emerging process and renewables businesses in North East Lincolnshire, around the UK and beyond.

The extension was funded by £1.8 million from North East Lincolnshire Council and £1.4 million from the European Regional Development Fund, and is due to be completed in late summer 2012.

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The regeneration magazine for Lincolnshire/

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projects

Cleethorpes

Offshore wind: renewable energy

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

The Humber region is fast becoming a hub for Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offshore wind industry, with Grimsby emerging as its capital.

It already has expertise among the manufacturers, suppliers and renewables research and development (R&D) needed to host operations and maintenance (O&M) functions.

A major centre for green renewable energy, building on its long-standing expertise in the power sector, Grimsby is only 10-50 miles from existing and planned turbines off the

Grimsby

Lincolnshire coast in the North Sea, where a further 4,000 wind turbines are to be built.

Two of the largest players in offshore wind power, Centrica and Siemens, have chosen to base their O&M teams in Grimsby, and both are planning to make significant expansions.

Centrica has recently signed a lease to create an O&M base at Grimsby Docksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; north wall, to service its 54-turbine, 194MW Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farm off the Skegness cost, as well as the nearby 75-turbine,

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Immingham

270MW Lincs wind farm currently being built. The Lincs wind farm, which will generate its first electricity by the end of 2012, will be able to supply enough power for 200,000 homes.

Centrica’s new O&M base, providing specialist services, will have more than 100 staff, with 50 new jobs created initially and more to follow. But the big prizes will be in the future. Energy and

climate change secretary Chris Huhne approved plans for the Humber Gateway offshore wind farm early in 2011. It will consist of up to 77 turbines, capable of producing up to 230MW. In addition, three of the UK’s nine zones for the planned massive wind farms (which together could provide enough energy to power 19 million homes) sit within strategic reach

of Grimsby, Immingham and Hull’s ports, providing virtually twothirds of the UK’s total wind farm energy output.

It is calculated that this could boost the regional economy by £27,000 million over the next 20 years, as the hundreds of turbines – as tall as the Humber Bridge and up to 100 miles from dry land – will all need construction, servicing and maintenance.

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The regeneration magazine for Lincolnshire/

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projects

Biomass plant for Immingham

The £5.6m Humber Seafood Institute The £5.6 million Humber Seafood Institute (HSI) is based on Grimsby’s Europarc and was completed in 2008. It provides the seafood industry with practical and technical support for product innovation and business development.

Additionally, the HSI is the base for Grimsby Institute’s specialist food teams. It also provides managed workspace offices, kitchens for the development of new products, a refrigeration research facility, chemical and environmental laboratory equipment, microbiological laboratories and a process hall.

The offices are available for rent to the region’s food related companies, particularly SMEs that may not be able to afford specialist office accommodation

and facilities, while conference and meeting rooms are available to both internal tenants and external companies.

Since it opened, the institute is well on its way to becoming a catalyst for innovation and creativity, not only in the Humber, but internationally, having hosted international trade delegations and conferences.

The institute also plays a vital part in the Lincolnshire Food Trade Corridor project, which is supporting a series of activities to enhance Greater Grimsby’s status as Europe’s Food Town, and to improve national and international trade. The area’s strengths have already been recognised, having won a national award for its seafood cluster and the securing of Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) status – similar to the French AOC – for Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish.

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

Real Ventures has chosen Immingham for a second biomass plant, further confirmation of the importance of the Humber estuary as a hub for renewables businesses.

Real Ventures has worked closely with the economic development officers tasked with promoting North East Lincolnshire as a place to invest. David Brierley, head of regeneration and growth with North East Lincolnshire Council’s partnership with Balfour Beatty Living Places, says: “It demonstrates to the market that we can do business here and we can help companies deliver projects. We are improving our position in the renewables market. It raises confidence in the area and in the sustainable renewable sector.”

Using waste timber for construction and paper products from around Europe as fuel, this development demonstrates that biomass is a crucial part of the energy mix. Real Ventures estimates that the electricity produced will be at a carbon emission ‘cost’ that is 90% less than conventional generation.

In terms of its location, the project also focuses on a sustainable plan as Associated British Ports (ABP) Immingham are using existing facilities and land on the docks for the development.

“From the first export of coal nearly 100 years ago to powering today’s electricity generation, the port of Immingham has been intrinsically linked with the business of energy production,” says ABP’s port director, John Fitzgerald.

“As energy generation moves towards an increasingly renewable basis, so we too adapt our service to handle these new cargoes. We are therefore delighted to be working with Real Ventures on this exciting renewable energy project.”

This project emerges as plans for a 290MW biomass-fired power station are developed by Drax and Siemens Project Ventures close to the western entrance to the port.

More projects are also believed to be on the way, as there is demonstrable interest in the government review of electricity generation incentives. ❤

y e n h s Fre

Place

The heart of shopping in Grimsby freshneyplace.co.uk

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Regeneration ambassadors

VAL WATERHOUSE

Chair, North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus Director and owner, ICF Grimsby Ltd Chair, LSP regeneration group

Effective local strategic partnerships range far beyond the delivery of public services.

In North East Lincolnshire, partners from the public and private sectors have worked together fostering microbusinesses and social enterprises, and supporting people into training and employment. Interviews by Christine Bramble

Regeneration ambassadors

/ The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire

There is a lot of business growth in North East Lincolnshire. We are well known for our food industry, but key growth areas are now the renewable (wind) and digital energy markets and we have the UK’s biggest container port by tonnage.

One of the main tasks of the local strategic partnership (LSP) regeneration group was to rebrand Greater Grimsby – not rename the area as people feared – and it has been successful.

Because we have areas on the edges of the sea, one thing we have been short of is business space.

The council has been very forward thinking and has turned derelict spaces into business units for small rent, so companies can start up and thrive. The e-factor village in Grimsby [an £18.7 million scheme to inspire and encourage enterprise in the area] is also proving very helpful.

In encouraging business, our aim is to get people off unemployment benefit – we have four of the most deprived wards in the UK, where generations of families have never worked.

A lot of time and money has been spent setting up a system to help people get working. Around 460 businesses have taken people off the dole queues and at the North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus, our award-winning Employability Scheme has trained 363 people to get into work.

Ninety-five per cent of the businesses are micro to small, many supporting industries connected to the docks, but more medium to large businesses are interested in the area. There is a Europarc on the outskirts and the council is developing land.

We are good communicators within North East Lincolnshire, we just need to shout it to others. So our message to businesses is: if you want to do something, come and talk to us about your ideas.

41

JANE LEWINGTON

MARK HODSON

The key strategy of the local strategic partnership (LSP) is to support the broader social and economic regeneration of North East Lincolnshire.

Receiving neighbourhood renewal funding about four years ago has allowed us to target the most challenged areas, introducing programmes to improve health, social inclusion and physical regeneration and tackle the barriers to employment.

The role of health has often been overlooked but it’s a good example of how partnership working can help to agree priorities and deliver targeted work.

The NELCTP is transforming the face of primary care. Ten years ago, most of the accommodation units were not fit for purpose. By the end of 2012 our estates strategy will see all primary care – including GPs, district nurses, dentists – provided out of 12 purpose-built centres. In Freshney Green, developed by the local authority and LSP, is the largest primary care centre serving a population of 30,000 people.

We are looking to secure our workforce for the future, as the developments make us able to attract new doctors and medical staff, especially from the nearby Hull York Medical School.

The LSP has noted training gaps and there are a range of different employability services. The trust already runs training schemes. The whole of our mental health service, Tukes, becomes a social enterprise next year and runs a number of contract services covering catering, domestic and estates.

It is now expanding to employment and training opportunities for people with learning disabilities.

The care home sector provides more beds in our area than the hospitals, so it is big in monetary and employment terms. We’re finding out how they can access the right skills and training for young people.

Health and social care are big contributors to social and economic wellbeing. We need to understand and engage with what businesses want and put them as strong points of influence to shape what we are doing.

The 150th anniversary of Cleethorpes is taking place in 2013. It is seen as a seaside town with a cosy image.

Our strategic development framework, which has put things into a regeneration and financial context, is going to change all that. Money from the Yorkshire Forward Fund, which we received in summer 2010 [to support business growth], has marked us as a renaissance town movement and will bring interest, enthusiasm and momentum to the area. It is a very exciting time.

Tourism is a key factor. We have concentrated on conference traffic but we can’t ignore the fact that most businesses here are related to tourism, with the growth area being ecotourism. The Humber Estuary is very rich in biodiversity, the area is a migration route for birds and there is a salt marsh.

One part of the Cleethorpes Town Team’s strategy is for a series of small quick wins to bring investors in – to show them how terrific this place is.

We can build on that with attractions like the new model railway museum. Trains are big here. We are also pushing for an integrated transport system where the station and planned miniature railway link, so that people don’t have to walk miles to the attractions on the other side.

We also have to get behind everything to do with wind energy, which is going to be massive. We will be able to use the infrastructure we had to support the fishing industry for the wind industry. It will reinvent the area, similar to what happened with the oil industry in Aberdeen.

My daughter, who is at university in London, says she heard the North East Lincolnshire Wolds described as the new Cotswolds. We are one of the best kept secrets in the country. We have an industry base, an urban core, seaside and hinterland with chocolate box cottages. We have so much to offer businesses and people coming here. ❤

Former chief executive North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus (NELCTP) Former member, North Lincolnshire LSP

Architect Former chair, Cleethorpes Town Team

The regeneration magazine for North East Lincolnshire/

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housing

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Inward investment depends on more than the right commercial or industrial sites. Businesses need a pool of skilled workers – and they need a range of quality homes throughout the area.

Sarah Herbert investigates what’s on offer in North East Lincolnshire

Homes in the Heartland According to some, Lincolnshire is the undiscovered gem of the country, with affordable housing and lovely countryside.

The Prime Location website makes much of the variety of house types from which to choose, from older, rural properties to new, urban developments. The Lincolnshire Wolds, designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, has been called the new Cotswolds, while in beautiful market towns such as Louth you can snap up a gorgeous Georgian townhouse for £350,000.

Like so much of the country, however, the picture is not universally rosy. While house prices are low, so are wages, and there is a shortage of good quality affordable homes. And without a supply of suitable homes, businesses are not going to be able to attract the workers they need.

“And to attract the right businesses, we need to have the right housing in the right place, with the right infrstructure,” says Jason Longhurst, head of development at North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC).

“Until recently housing, infrastructure, planning and transport all used to be treated separately. Housing would be developed without appropriate infrastructure, or planning permission would be refused for

much-needed schemes. The new localism agenda has meant that all these areas need to be talking.”

One of the area’s big plus points is its strong transport and highways network, with all road and public transport connections going right into the heart of the town centres. Any new housing won’t need new highways to connect it up, just ensuring it uses the existing network in the most efficient way.

“Now that NELC has the Balfour Beatty partnership to handle the technical side of things,” says Longhurst, referring to a pioneering initiative described on page 24, “we can concentrate on the strategic approach. We can ensure that planning and infrastructure fast-track housing development, and we can make that an integral part of our offer to inward investors.”

It’s also important for the council to constantly assess the market, to avoid the scenario of a decade ago, where city centres were swamped with unwanted one-bedroom apartments. While people are always going to want to live in the city centre – both at the high and

›

LEFT: Grand design at night – contemporary living, Barnoldby Le Beck, in the Lincolnshire Wolds.

The regeneration magazine for Greater Grimsby, Lincolnshire/ Lincolnshire/ land land

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housing

How’s the market?

Dan Holland of DDM Residential says: “The market is looking up, but it’s still very competitive. For a house to sell it needs to be top notch, with new decor, good location and at the right price.

“The houses that are moving are threebed family houses in good areas near good schools, costing between £130,000 and £180,000. The first-time buyer market is slow, with those who have a good credit rating jumping the traditional first-time buyer properties. They are saving up a good deposit and going straight in at over £100,000.

“In the Wolds, the most popular houses are traditional four-bed Victorian houses in big gardens, but at the top end – such as a half a million pound barn conversion with a third of a hectare garden – properties just aren’t selling.

The demand isn’t there.”

TOP: Architecture in the Wolds.

MIDDLE: Compare the market.

BOTTOM: Woodbine House in East Ravendale, was for sale at £595,000.

OPPOSITE: Guildford Street, East Marsh, has been transformed.

/ The regeneration magazine for Greater Grimsby, Lincolnshire

45

low end of the market – they’re also going to want housing for the next stage of their lives, when they have their family and want a bigger house with a garden, but don’t want to have to move out to the countryside to get it. The redevelopment of Freshney Green (see panel, right), aims to provide just such housing.

Another aim of the council’s new approach is greater clarity from the outset about the type of scheme likely to gain planning permission.

“We’re setting our assets and our potential, while being realistic about what can economically be built on our low land values,” says Longhurst. “Previously, the planning vision often did not match developers’ reality. With more pre-application consultation, developers will now know what sort of schemes are likely to get planning permission, and we can therefore respond more quickly to grant planning approval.”

The new approach will also help local people get the planning results they need. An online tool, to be available in the middle of 2012, will enable them to both summarise what they want from

development in their areas, and see how local planning policy affects their neighbourhood. Rather than having to trawl through huge and unwieldy planning documents, it will be possible to gather all relevant information in one simple, jargon-free flow chart, either online or in paper form.

This ties in with another area of priority: improving social housing, but in a way that is led by the community, with residents regaining control of their surroundings. One example of such a scheme is Fresh Start East Marsh, concentrating on improving the surroundings of nearly 4,000, mainly terraced, dwellings in the area around the docks, with the first phase heavily led by residents’ wishes. (See panel, left.)

All the while, there is a drive to raise the quality of new-build homes. One way of doing this is encouraging the use of innovative building techniques, such as offsite manufacture, and creating demonstration sites of exemplar techniques. As Longhurst says: “Modular or pre-fab housing techniques are fast, and therefore cheap. They also produce much more airtight homes than traditional techniques, so help us to achieve level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. This is going to be increasingly important in the future: as fuel prices continue to rise, we’ll find that energy efficient homes are going to be in more and more demand.”

For Grimsby, it seems, the only way is up. “The difference with us is that we say yes first, then work out how we can help the planning applicant to get the quality right,” says Longhurst.

“To coin a phrase,” he concludes, “we’re open for business.” ❤

“The difference with us is that we say yes first, then work out how we can help the planning applicant to get the quality right ... we’re open for business”

East Marsh Neighbourhood Renewal Area Close to Grimsby town centre, East Marsh used to be a thriving community until a decline in the fishing industry, when it became one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England, with poor-quality terraced housing, a failing housing market, high levels of crime and unemployment and major health inequalities.

In 2008 NELC declared the area – with its 3,962 terraced houses – a neighbourhood renewal area, with a 10-year commitment to transform its housing, economy, education, environment, health and security, and turn it into a high-quality, sustainable and popular neighbourhood with a strong housing market.

The focus for the first three years of the programme has been the Guildford Street area (pictured left), with 100 houses now bought and demolished, and improvements made to other properties and the public realm. Housing options are now being considered in line with the progress on the project.

The plans include having an increased police presence, community projects to create gardens, improvements to the security of housing, and creation of connected open spaces and ‘home zones’.

Freshney Green This seven-phase development started in 2008 to selectively clear and redevelop what was known as the Yarborough estate with a new high-quality, mixed tenure, mixed income community comprising both retained residents and new households.

The scheme will include a neighbourhood green to provide a heart to the community, ‘eco gardens’ and open spaces with play equipment for pre-school children.

Phase one, of 67 units, is complete and offers a selection of two-, three- and fourbedroom homes starting at £109,950. The scheme’s 122-unit second phase will be complete by March 2012.

All eco-friendly homes meet level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. Alongside the housing development, there is a primary health care scheme on adjacent land. While development was under way there was a multi-agency drop-in service, based in a refurbished property to support residents through the transition.

The regeneration magazine for Greater Grimsby, Lincolnshire/ Lincolnshire/ land land

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cONTACTS

For more information on the regeneration of North East Lincolnshire contact Jason Longhurst, head of development at North East Lincolnshire Council, on 01472 313131 or email jason.longhurst@nelincs.gov.uk Subscriptions and feedback: www.northeastlincolnshiremagazine.com Editor: Siobhán Crozier Art director: Terry Hawes Production editor: Rachael Schofield Head of business development: Paul Gussar Business development manager: Sophie Gosling Production assistant: Jeri Dumont Office manager: Sue Mapara Subscriptions manager: Simon Maxwell Managing director: Toby Fox Images: Dave Moss Photography, Melody Shanahan-Kluth, Kathleen Fisher, The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education, North East Lincolnshire Council, E.ON UK, British Gas, Rick Stein, © Ocean/Corbis, © Bruno Ehrs/Corbis Printed by: Manson Published by: Lower Ground Floor, 189 Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TB T: 020 7978 6840 F: 020 7681 3468

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