Construction starts on Cleethorpes’ new Lifeboat Station
The RNLI will start building a new lifeboat station in Cleethorpes immediately after the Easter Bank Holiday, on April 19, 2022. Construction will take around 12 months and cost in the region of £3 million.
Plans for the station were approved in 2018 and will provide the capability for an Atlantic 85 lifeboat to join the existing D-Class lifeboat already on station.
Mick Fowler, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Cleethorpes, said: “The start of the build of our new station is an exciting moment for all our volunteers in Cleethorpes, both operational and fundraising, as it marks one step closer to being able to move into the new facility.”
Andy Burden, Deputy Launch Authority at Cleethorpes, added: “The new building has been designed to be an asset to the resort, complementing and enhancing the central promenade and becoming a visitor attraction in its own right. We’re all local residents ourselves and are pleased that such care has been taken in the design of the station.”
The new station will be built on the beach in front of the current station and will provide the capability to position a second lifeboat at Cleethorpes, a more powerful B Class Atlantic 85, which will join the existing D-Class lifeboat already on station.
This will allow the charity to respond more quickly, in a wider range of weather conditions, to a larger variety of incidents while keeping its volunteers safer.
The new station will have its own slipway for launch and recovery of the boats. Currently, the lifeboat has to cross a public road near a blind bend.
Changing and training facilities will also be much improved, and the RNLI shop will move on site as well, giving shop volunteers access to running water and a toilet, neither of which are available in the current shop.
Jamie King, Area Lifesaving Manager for Humber and Lincolnshire, told us: “This new station will represent a huge change, not only to the lifesaving service we provide to the local area, but also to the way our volunteers can train and operate, in a much safer and more efficient environment than is possible in the current building.”
The RNLI have been working closely with partners to establish a site and traffic plan which will cause the minimum inconvenience to local residents, businesses and visitors, but works of this size will inevitably cause some disruption.
From the 19th April 2022, until the completion of works approximately 12 months later, Central Promenade will be closed to through traffic during the day whilst the Contractors are working, except for the operation of the lollipop train.
A temporary signed and barriered footway will also be provided through the closure for pedestrians.
There will be no access for vehicles from Brighton Street past the Coastguard station, and cyclists will be asked to dismount and walk with their cycles through the restricted area or use alternative routes.
Entry onto and exit from the Central Promenade will be from Sea Road only. Parking will still be available, and an area created and kept free of vehicles near the works site to allow for cars to turn around.
Traffic management personnel will be on site to help manage traffic while restrictions are in place. On occasions, once Central Prom is full of parked cars, they may close the Prom until car parking bays become available, reducing the level of congestion. This operation will be closely managed and monitored by traffic officers throughout. Some disabled bays will be affected; however these will be moved and signed elsewhere on the Central Prom.
The Central Prom will be opened fully at night between 6 pm and 7 am to one way through traffic from the direction of the pier, allowing vehicles to leave via Brighton slip end. The temporary pedestrian footway will remain in place.
Additional signage regarding the traffic management in the area and on the approaches within Cleethorpes will be put out to divert traffic to other car parks and advise of the restrictions.
Access to Brighton Street slipway from Brighton Street for watersports users, the Resort Team and for the launch of the lifeboat will be preserved throughout.
Works and deliveries to the site will take place Monday to Friday, 8am – 6pm. There will be no work on bank holidays or on weekends of major festivals and events. Occasionally because of the tidal nature of the site there may be the need to work on other Saturdays from 8am – 1pm.
Steve Randall, Estates Engineer for the RNLI, said: “We appreciate that this is an unwelcome disruption at the start of what we hope will be a bumper season for the resort, but the various restrictions on the build process that we have to accommodate, including tourism considerations and Natural England requirements to work on the site away from times when over-wintering birds are present on the adjacent SSSI, (Site of Special Scientific Interest) means that we have no choice but to work to these plans and timings. A 12-month project inevitably must cover at least one summer season.”
From the 16th May, for approximately seven weeks, piling works will need to be carried out which will cause significant noise for the duration of the working day. These are unavoidable as, despite extensive consultation, there is no alternative available for this site.
Throughout the build, the RNLI’s contractors will be working to minimise disruption and are working with the organisers of all planned major events to ensure they are accommodated.
The station is due to be completed in mid-2023. The charity will be sharing regular updates on progress on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/RNLICleethorpes
ENDS
Further information for press can be obtained from Matt McNally, volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Cleethorpes, [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.