THOSE fighting to save the historic Grimsby Ice Factory and its unique 80-year-old refrigeration equipment have hit back at calls from a local MP for the area to be flattened.
In today's edition of the Grimsby Telegraph, Labour MP Austin Mitchell called for the town's redundant dock buildings to be flattened to help create jobs. He also called for a U-turn on local council moves to protect the Kasbah area of Grimsby's docks.

Earlier this month North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee voted to apply an Article 4(1) direction which protects the buildings on the historic docks from summary demolition.

Although the Grimsby Ice Factory is Grade II listed, many of the neighbouring buildings do not have that protection. At the planning committee meeting on December 14, Councillors voted 8 to 1 to apply the Article 4(1) direction, which means that the owners must submit a full planning application before demolishing any buildings in the historic dock area.

Austin Mitchell agreed with landowner Associated British Ports (ABP) which claimed the move would prevent investment from companies in the offshore wind industry. He told the Grimsby Telegraph: 'We need to seize the opportunities the renewable industry brings to this area. ABP should be allowed to demolish the Cosalt offices and other buildings. This would have been the first step towards the clearance we need.

'The committee's decision makes it more difficult for ABP to clear the Cosalt area and also sets back the decision regarding the Ice Factory, which is now a disintegrating eyesore standing in the way of development of the area and delaying the prospect of a new start in the docks we so badly need to bring life and jobs to the heart of Grimsby.'

Although sympathetic to heritage campaigners he claimed that there are no viable proposals to regenerate it and the area should be flattened to make way for developments next to the water.

'Hanging onto buildings for what are now sentimental reasons stops Fish Dock Enterprises and ABP preparing the ground and paving the way for the investments to come,' he is quoted as saying.

Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust (GGIFT) chairman Victoria Hartung hit back pointing out that as a listed building the Ice Factory cannot be demolished. 'It is unique in Europe, possibly the world,' she said.

'We do have viable proposals for the sustainable reuse of the Ice Factory and the other buildings, and we have the backing of the Prince's Regeneration Trust, the Prince's Foundation For The Built Environment and every other national organisation concerned with heritage and heritage-led regeneration.

'We have every reason to believe the money will be available to kick-start an exciting waterfront development,' she told the Telegraph.

Commenting later, Victoria Hartung said: 'We don't agree with the argument that there is a straight choice between heritage and jobs; the town needs a wide range of solutions to its problems. Heritage has a proven track record (but it is only one of the solutions). If the town is to recover, it must be able to accommodate more than one solution. We also pointed out that the historic dock area accounts for a very small percentage of the total dock estate.
 
'There are also two separate issues here; the historic buildings such as the Cosalt headquarters covered by the recent Article 4 decision and the Ice Factory. As a listed building the Ice Factory cannot be demolished, so it is mistaken to even bring this building into the debate.
 
'We understand why these arguments have been raised; any business wants a free hand in its operations and no MP would want to go on record as being anti-jobs. But, the planning process now in place will give a chance for the benefits of each proposed development to be weighed, in detail, on a case by case basis.'

Over 100 years old, the derelict Grimsby Ice Factory still retains some unique and original refrigeration equipment including four huge 80-year-old J&E Hall ammonia compressors.