PLANS for a modern new seafood village in Grimsby have finally received the go-ahead after the European Fisheries Fund announced a £1-million grant last night.
And Grimsby Fish Dock Enterprises, the company which runs the fish market, is to receive a £750,000 grant also from the same Fund towards its own major modernisation programme. The long awaited seafood village has been five years in the planning and the announcement will be a major boost for the consortium of fish merchants who are behind the scheme. Headed by Peter Dalton and Gary Cadey, the company is called Grimsby Seafood Village Ltd.
Further details will be announced tomorrow, but the aim is to build a number of modern fish processing units on an area of land near Grimsby Fish Docks. The units will replace many of the old Victorian fish houses on an area of the docks, known as the Casbah so-called because of its many lanes and back alleys. But it is expected to propel Grimsby into a new future.
The multi million pound scheme will probably be developed in two stages as need and demand dictates, but the units will have a number of built in environmentally friendly features such as water recycling.
In total 11 grant applications were approved by the English European Fisheries Fund panel, chaired by the Marine and Fisheries Agency which met on February 17. Total grant aid, match funding and other investment in the 11 projects represents an estimated £12.6 million investment for the English fishing industry.
The largest single grant was £2.3 million for a new fish market in Newlyn, Cornwall. It is subject to assurances from the new Newlyn Harbour Commissioners who are expected to be appointed before Easter.
Other significant grants were : Withernsea on the Yorkshire Coast which gets £296,000 for a new slipway; the port of Newhaven £165,000 for new landing stages; Plymouth £79,000 for electronic auction improvements.
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