Making waves in Skegness as Heritage Lincolnshire get green light to deliver multi-million Town Centre Transformation
Heritage Lincolnshire is celebrating securing approval for a £2.7m funding boost for Skegness town centre. The charity, the county’s foremost organisation dedicated to conserving Lincolnshire’s heritage, secured the money thanks to the Connected Coast Town Deal secured by East Lindsey District Council with funding through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The scheme is a once in a generation opportunity to harness Skegness’s historic high street and its former seaside charm to help regenerate the town.
This exciting project, ‘Town Centre Transformations: Skegness’, is the first to focus on Skegness’s rich seaside heritage and will result in a substantial pot of grant funding being made available to local businesses and property owners in Skegness Town Centre to bring their properties back to their former glory, specifically targeting Lumley Road, the High Street and Tower Gardens. Grants will be available to transform town centre properties by repairing and revitalising historic buildings and shopfronts, reducing modern inappropriate signage and street clutter and improving the centre’s appearance. The project will focus on Skegness’s diverse but neglected historic sites, as well as newer and prominent buildings in the town centre. This funding will bring wider investment into the town of Skegness, supporting training, skills and jobs in the town whilst making a more attractive environment for residents, visitors and businesses alike.
Through the grants small, local and independent businesses will be supported to thrive in the town through rebranding and improving their curb appeal. Local people will also be able to get involved in finding out about the heritage of Skegness through the Lincolnshire Local List project. The project hopes to help people celebrate the town’s history; giving people pride in the town and uncovering the story of its development.
Greg Pickup, Chief Executive of Heritage Lincolnshire, said “Skegness has an enduring appeal as one of the country’s most popular seaside towns where generations of families made memories. It is not generally known for its history, however evidence of its 20th century prosperity is everywhere, from the canopies adorning Lumley Road buildings to beautiful 1930s bronze-framed shopfronts that our grandparents would have promenaded past. So much of Skegness’ heritage from its 20th century heyday survives but has since been obscured or neglected and it is long overdue to bring this to light. We’re excited to be working with the Town Deal board and business owners to help showcase the town’s proud seaside heritage and uncover the underappreciated beauty and history of Skegness. Watch this space!
Charlotte Goy, tourism expert and CEO of Destination Lincolnshire, said “This is wonderful news for Skegness and will bring much deserved investment into one of England’s most popular seaside resorts.
“I’ve seen first-hand the work Greg’s team has put in behind the scenes to secure this money, and it is testament to their passion and enthusiasm for not only preserving Lincolnshire’s incredible heritage, but bringing it to life with local community engagement programmes. I can’t wait to see what they do!”
Michael Ashton, Chair of Heritage Lincolnshire’s Trustee Board, concluded “This investment is testament to the importance of Skegness’ historic town centre for its future growth. It also marks a welcome new chapter for our charity, building on Heritage Lincolnshire’s 30-year track record of successfully bringing historic buildings back to their former glory across the county. We’re excited to be working with organisations across Skegness and more widely, across Lincolnshire, on this project and can’t wait to get started”.
Chris Baron, Chair of the Connected Coast Board, said “This is another landmark project to gain approval through our Town Deal Funding which will see over £80 million invested between Mablethorpe and Skegness over the next few years. Supporting our many local businesses and jobs is at the heart of the Connected Coast scheme and this project will see dozens of businesses benefit.
I am so excited to see how this will transform our main shopping area and sit alongside the major investment going into the Railway Station and the Foreshore thanks to the Town Deal. These investments will ensure that Skegness continues to be an attractive destination for businesses, visitors and residents for many years to come.