June 2022 – New Mitigation Site

In June work continued on the development of a second mitigation site in North East Lincolnshire that will support industrial investment in the area for decades to come.

The 50 acres of wetland bird and wildlife mitigation land is in addition to the 100 acres already created at the award-winning Cress Marsh site.

The Seafood cluster’s central role in the government’s food strategy was celebrated in June with Grimsby’s position as the leading hub for the industry flagged up in the policy paper, released this month by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Novartis Ings Mitigation Site

Work has started on the creation of another unique wildlife site, “Novartis Ings” on the south bank of the Humber which will provide industrial opportunity along the South Humber Bank in the decades ahead.

As previously reported, Novartis transferred a piece of their land free of charge as a legacy for their 70-year presence in the area, and this is boosted by another parcel of land formerly owned by Solenis.

Mitigation sites provide unique opportunities for companies looking to build or expand in the area. In planning the South Humber Industrial Investment Programme, we considered what would give us a true competitive advantage when firms were looking at areas in which to invest. We concluded that our strategy needed to promote economic growth whilst conserving the environment.

Firms would have previously been required to obtain land for wildlife to offset their developments as a planning requirement, which can delay developments for months and can be hugely expensive. Thanks to the mitigation projects undertaken, the land is ready and waiting for them.

This new 50-acre site joins the national award-winning 100-acre Cress Marsh site at Stallingborough.

Seafood Cluster’s Central Role in Government’s Food Strategy Celebrated

Seafood’s central role in the government’s food strategy has been welcomed in Grimsby, the UK’s fish processing capital. As reported on Business Live the town’s position as the leading hub for the industry was flagged up in the policy paper by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It aims to deliver a “prosperous agri-food and seafood sector to ensure secure food supply in an unpredictable world, while contributing to the levelling-up agenda”.

£24-million is to be invested to support seafood science and innovation, as part of the £100M UK Seafood Fund. This will include funding projects that develop innovation and technology in the seafood space.

The fund also includes at least £65 million for an infrastructure scheme, investing in ports, and aquaculture and processing facilities for the seafood industry, to help support coastal communities.

Grimsby is England’s leading fish processing hub, accounting for around a third of all UK seafood processing jobs. It has a rich heritage in producing and processing high quality seafood that the nation loves.

The food industry is worth more than £2.5bn to North East Lincolnshire and we have here 6x the Great Britain average of food manufacturing employees (as a % of total workforce).

Europe’s Green Town

Following last season’s successful campaign, Grimsby Town Football Club propelled themselves back into the Football League and in June a new partnership was announced with local high-flying business myenergi.

With a real buzz in the region around the rejuvenation of the local football club and the green revolution happening on the South Humber Bank, the coming together of a pioneering green business with the football club is a perfect fit.

Club chair Jason Stockwood said of the partnership “We are re-establishing the club as a community club, and part of that is telling the new narrative, thinking about industries of the future, things that will carry this town on for the next 200 years.

Fishing will always be important, it is our heritage, in our DNA. But we have to look at these new industries. These are the companies of the future, the industries of the future, and there are careers on the doorstep.”