St James’ House could be transformed into new hub for office, retail and leisure outlets

St James’ House could be transformed into new hub for office, retail and leisure outlets

St James’ House in Grimsby town centre could become a brand new space for office, retail and leisure outlets, it has been revealed.

Set to be discussed at a meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council’s Cabinet next week, the plans for the vacant building have been submitted by local business support organisation, E-Factor, to create a space in the town centre for businesses.

These plans come as part of the Government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund, which aims to improve several towns and cities around the country, “driving sustainable regeneration which delivers long term economic and productivity growth”.

If approved at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 3 November, a business case will be submitted to Government to request £1.5 million funding to kickstart the project.

The Cabinet report – set to be presented at next week’s meeting – reads: “The Minster, St James House, St James Square, Cartergate, the train station and Freshney Place form the heart of the town centre. The Masterplan identified that there is a need to diversify the range of land uses in this part of the town centre, including the introduction of leisure uses and additional commercial space.

“St James Square, a key heritage quarter of the town, and one of the only public squares in the town today, offers an area of open space for people to enjoy and has benefitted from recent investment to further enhance it. This has provided a catalyst for the redevelopment of St James House, bringing an important building back into use.

“In addition, proposals for a new mixture of food/leisure and entertainment uses in Freshney Place through the Future High Streets Fund will drive activity and footfall to the heart of the town centre.

“The successful Cartergate office development has highlighted the potential for new town centre commercial accommodation and St James House offers this opportunity, including the potential redevelopment of the ground floor which will attract a diverse range of uses.

“The project, subject to planning, would not only bring back into use the upper floors for additional office space, but would also seek to redevelop the ground floor of the building, currently an open space of archways, to create space for retail, workshops, and creative space.”