Press release: SAVE welcomes new Conservation Area for Grimsby – following our high-profile campaign to stop demolition last year

27 October 2017

Press release: SAVE welcomes new Conservation Area for Grimsby – following our high-profile campaign to stop demolition last year
 
SAVE Britain's Heritage warmly welcomes the announcement this week that Grimsby has created a new Conservation Area for the town's historic fishing docks, known as the Kasbah. The Kasbah is a network of historic warehouses, smoke houses and shops on a handful of streets which date back to the 1870s, and tells Grimsby's unique history when it was the greatest fishing port in the world.
 
We are delighted that the new status officially acknowledges the important history of the docks, and opens up potential funding opportunities from Historic England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Many of the buildings in the Kasbah have suffered from years of neglect and are in a bad state of repair.
 
SAVE placed Grimsby in the spotlight last year over the demolition of a handsome street of buildings in the Kasbah, known as the Cosalt Buildings. Although these buildings were tragically lost, our campaign which took the case to the Court of Appeal drew attention from the national media and UK wide heritage organisations.
 
There are eight remaining listed buildings in the Kasbah – two of which are operating as traditional smokeries, and it lies close to the Grade I listed Dock Tower, and the Grade II* listed Grimsby Ice Factory.
 
Henrietta Billings, Director of SAVE said: “SAVE salutes North East Lincolnshire Council for taking this important decision to change the fortunes of Grimsby’s fishing dock history. We look forward to a new chapter of investment and celebration in the historic Kasbah buildings. There are examples across the country like the Albert Dock in Liverpool and Gloucester Docks that show that heritage can be a prime driver for regeneration and for the local economy. It is encouraging to see the Council and owners of the docks Associated British Ports now recognise this.
 
"We also note the neighbouring grade II* listed Grimsby Ice Factory is not included within the Conservation Area. We hope that this renewed interest in dock heritage will encourage the owners - Associated British Ports - to find a re-use solution that can unlock its potential."
 
Marcus Binney, President of SAVE Britain's Heritage said: “Just across the Humber the City of Hull has achieved a renaissance of city architecture during its year as city of culture.  Grimsby must follow suit and help revive the smokeries which make the Kasbah such a special place."
 
Vicky Hartung, Chair Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust said: “The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust (GGIFT) is delighted that the Kasbah will have the protection of conservation area status at last.  There are nearly 90 buildings within the historic dock area that have over the years fallen into disuse and disrepair (not to mention the Ice Factory itself), so viewed as a heritage project this is a huge challenge.  But GGIFT is ready to play its part in working with Associated British Ports, North East Lincolnshire Council, and other heritage partners and funders on a long-term plan to reintegrate these buildings into the life of the port and the town."
 
John Darlington, Executive Director of World Monuments Fund Britain said: "‘The Kasbah, along with the Ice Factory, was on the World Monuments 2014 Watch list, together with other international treasures, so we’re delighted to see this extraordinary part of Grimsby placed under the protection that it so richly deserves."
 
Note to editors:
 
1. For more information please contact SAVE on 0207 253 3500 or office@savebritainsheritage.org
 
2. Great Grimsby was one of England’s foremost ports in the late 19th century and early 20th century and is recognised as one of the most important surviving examples of the industrial scale fishing trade in England.
 
3. SAVE has a long-standing interest in Grimsby Docks, and has been campaigning for their preservation and reuse for several years. In 2012 we worked with architect Graham Byfield to draw up an alternative vision for the site, showing how it could be revived and restored.
 
4. SAVE’s campaign to stop the demolition of Fish Dock Road in 2016 was supported by World Monuments Fund, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, The Victorian Society, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Ancient Monuments Society, The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust and the Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group, and more than 750 people who signed a petition to stop the demolition. For more information on our campaign- see here.
 
5. The World Monuments Fund included Grimsby Ice Factory and Kasbah in their 2014 Watch. Every two years the Watch draws international attention and support for some of the world’s most important and fragile cultural heritage. This nomination was accepted by WMF’s independent and international panel of experts because of the outstanding global significance of the site as a unique survivor of the Victorian industrial era.
 
6. SAVE Britain’s Heritage has been campaigning for historic buildings since its formation in 1975 by a group of architectural historians, writers, journalists and planners. It is a strong, independent voice in conservation, free to respond rapidly to emergencies and to speak out loud for the historic built environment.
 
Press release issued by SAVE Britain’s Heritage
70 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ
Registered Charity 269129
Tel. 020 7253 3500  Email office@savebritainsheritage.org
www.savebritainsheritage.org