Riverhead Square works in Grimsby will continue past April
Work began to transform the square in 2023
Final completion works on the transformation of a public square in Grimsby will not be completed until after April.
Work to transform Riverhead Square, outside Freshney Place shopping centre, began in early 2023. The scheme was intended to make it a greener and more flexible event space.
To most eyes, it has been effectively complete since last summer, with the space substantially transformed. There is completely new paving, litter bins and landscaping that involves 11,000 plants, trees, and shrubs.
But the £3.3m project has had snags in getting fully completed. And after the LDRS followed up on a line in the council’s budget, it has been confirmed at least one element will not be completed until April or later.
The LDRS noticed that £261,000 labelled ‘Towns Fund – Riverhead Square’ is in the council’s budget for 2025/26, the next financial year. This starts from April.
Riverhead Square was allocated £3.3m of wider £20.9m government Towns Fund cash for several regeneration projects in Grimsby. A council spokesperson has confirmed the works due in the next financial year will be paid from the existing budget, and clarified the nature of what is left to be completed.
“The money in the budget for Riverhead is the remaining budget that was originally allocated for the whole project. There are still some remaining elements that need to be completed on the square, which are included within the existing expenditure, including the work by Northern Powergrid to complete the electricity connections, for example.” It is understood the electricity connections will help aid the square’s ability to host events.
There has consistently remained a small fenced-off section of the public space, near The Barge side of the square. Fences briefly returned generally to the square around the newly installed planters in October. This was because of stones not being secured in the planters and ending up loose on the pavement.
This issue was raised at the council’s cabinet Facebook Live Q&A session on February 3. Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson (Conservative – Waltham Ward) said the contractors had been back to look at the loose pebbles issue and were “supposed to be sorting that out over the next few weeks”. He added it had to be done in the right weather conditions to ensure the fix worked.
“We’re seeing more and more people starting to use it as a social venue, it will be a great asset to the town centre.”