Council eyes up seaside fund to deliver £5.7m hall replacement

CONTESTED plans to relocate a seaside entertainment venue have moved a step closer after the launch of a Government scheme to revitalise coastal communities.

East Riding Council plans to replace the Floral Hall on Hornsea’s esplanade with a £5.7m multi-purpose centre attached to the leisure centre at the southern end of the Promenade.

The scheme stalled two years ago because of funding cuts at regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, which will be abolished in June, but Ministers have now announced a £23.7m Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) that could help bridge the funding gap.

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The council has secured £4.08m of the cost and is waiting to hear the outcome of a bid to the European Regional Development Fund for the remainder, but it is thought any shortfall would be covered by a successful bid to the CCF.

Sue Lang, regeneration and funding group manager at the council, said of the opportunities presented by the fund: “We do work closely with our coastal fraternity of local authorities around the coast.

“We have renaissance partnerships in Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea and will be working with them to see how best to make the most of this opportunity.

“For example, we have a long held ambition to put new facilities in Hornsea to replace the old Floral Hall and we are looking at ways of securing funding.

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“One of the things it (the fund) does suggest is use it to supplement other funding and we do think that project would fit this criteria very well.”

She added: “We do have plans for each of our seafront areas to make them more economically secure; we want to look at our whole portfolio of projects.

“But the funding is also there to help people as well as the place.

“We want to improve the economic situation of all coastal areas and not just towns, areas such as Spurn, Flamborough and Bempton.”

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The scheme would probably see the Floral Hall knocked down if the new venue is built.

The plans are, however, still facing opposition from residents, who would prefer the Floral Hall to be refurbished at its current location.

Michael Parry, who gathered 2,500 names on a petition seeking to block the move, said he had written to council chief executive Nigel Pearson asking for an update.

He added: “No news is good news, but I would say to people who think the Floral Hall is not popular to come on Sunday lunchtime and see – it’s packed.

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“It would be a crying shame to move it elsewhere. With the money they have got they could renovate it at half the price.”

Grants of between £2m and £50,000 are available from the CCF.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said the funding was intended to help diversify and transform seaside economies by allowing them to rejuvenate traditional assets or exploit emerging industries.

It could be used to start programmes delivering skills training, offer apprenticeships to school leavers, create new workspaces or support small-scale transport improvements.

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Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said he would particularly like to see bids from social enterprises, charities, local businesses and local enterprise partnerships.

Councils, charities and businesses can also apply. The fund will be financed from 50 per cent of the revenues from the Crown Estate’s marine assets.

Mr Pickles said: “This is a great opportunity for long overlooked seaside towns, large and small, to grab a chance to grow through imaginative and innovative projects.”

He added: “As long as the bid’s backers can show how the money will help support jobs and growth for the long term, we won’t presume to know better than them what their economy needs.”