THE Prince's Regeneration Trust has become involved in attempts to save the Grimsby Ice Factory and the 80-year-old refrigeration equipment it contains.
The Trust has been in contact with the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust (GGIFT) and has indicated its intention to schedule a Planning Day in the town. No date has yet been set but the objective of the Planning Day will be to bring together the local community and key stakeholders to reach agreement regarding the opportunities for the regeneration of the building.
The J&E Hall compressors form part of the
Grade-ll preservation order
The Planning Day will aim to steer the ideas for the sustainable future of the historic building in a direction that will have maximum chance of securing funding and a private developer partner if needed.
Help from the Prince's Regeneration Trust is welcome news for those fighting to save the historic Victorian building and its unique refrigeration equipment which includes four massive 80-year-old J&E Hall ammonia compressors.
The Prince's Regeneration Trust was established by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2005, to rescue important historic buildings from neglect and dereliction and has scored some notable successes across the UK.
Speaking to ACR News, Fred Taggart projects director of the Prince's Regeneration Trust said 'There is no doubt the building needs to be retained. It is immensely important both architecturally and as a piece of industrial heritage.
'We need to find new uses for it and it could potentially be an important catalyst for regeneration in the Town,' he added.
The Planning Day is seen as the first step in that direction.
'The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust has a number of ideas and suggestions for its future use, these ideas now need to be examined in detail,' he added.
'I have suggested a Planning Day involving all interested parties to see if we can reach a consensus.'
Key to the Planning Day will be the involvement of the current owners of the site, Associated British Ports (ABP), but with the listed status of the building and its refrigeration equipment the owners will not get permission to demolish the building or rip out the machinery.
'They have to be persuaded that a successful regeneration would also benefit them,' added Mr Taggart.