House of Fraser project awarded £112k

More than £110,000 in grants has been awarded as part of a scheme to improve the frontage of the former House of Fraser in Grimsby.

North East Lincolnshire Council bought the Victoria Street buildings in December 2023 at a cost of £350,000.

The authority said the money, which is made up of £62,043 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and a £50,000 development grant from Historic England, would be used to draw up plans for future funding bids.

Council leader Phillip Jackson said it had always been the council's intention to secure support for the full conservation and repair of the buildings.

The council said its long-term goal was to carry out conservation repairs and look at the possibility of replacing the current 1970s shopfront with one inspired by the original Guy & Smith one of 1913.

Jackson said: "When we bought these buildings, we were looking to the future of the town as a whole.

"These buildings form a major part of Victoria Street and we always wanted to make sure that these were fully repaired and brought back into use."

David Walsh, principal adviser for partnerships for Historic England, said government body was delighted to support efforts "to help revitalise Victoria Street".

"The aim is to reinstate some wonderful shopfronts which, together with the new leisure and market development next door, will help give Grimsby the high quality street scene it deserves," he said.

"This includes its addresses at various points being the home of clothing and furnishing store Guy & Smith, named after its 19th Century founders Joseph Guy and his son-in-law, Joseph Smith."

As part of the project, there would also be a range of other activities, including an exhibition and heritage skills, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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