Winterton impressed with Humber Gateway
A REGIONAL Government minister has offered reassurances to local politicians over ambitious plans to create 15,000 jobs on the South Bank.
Rosie Winterton met with the leaders of North East Lincolnshire Council and North Lincolnshire Council, plus MPs Shona McIsaac, Ian Cawsey and Austin Mitchell at Pittwood House in Scunthorpe.
-
The minister was briefed on plans to create a deep-water port on the Humber, exploit four square miles of open land around the ports and a campaign to get Government funding for upgrades to the A160.
After the meeting, Ms Winterton told the Grimsby Telegraph: "I was extremely impressed with the work that is being done through the South Humber Gateway."
Ms Winterton said she was confident a decision on the A160 upgrades will follow the formal submission of the Regional Transport Board, expected in the next few days.
She added: "I will work with the transport minister to encourage them to try to make the decision as quickly as possible."
Able UK's £110-million ports project is currently working through the North Lincolnshire Council planning system and council leader Mark Kirk said he was confident the Humber Bank schemes would progress. Cllr Kirk said: "One of the things about today was to really get Rosie briefed on actually what the potential as far as a the Humber Bank is.
"Able UK is one of our biggest applications. What we need to do is to do is talk to other parties such as the Environment Agency and Natural England so we can sort out some of the issues that need addressing."
But Cllr Kirk's counterpart at North East Lincolnshire Council Cllr Andrew De Freitas was more critical of past mistakes.
He said: "It's encouraging that the Government is now looking at this but it should have been there years ago.
"It's a fact both our areas have massive unemployment and have had for some years now.
"The A160, hopefully, we will get that in the next couple of years."
Most of the area planned for development falls into the constituency of Cleethorpes MP Shona McIsaac.
She said: "It's brilliant Rosie Winterton has taken the time to come here today.
"There were several different things we asked the minister today.
"It's always a process of nudging them forward. She was very positive."
Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell said: "It's been a very useful meeting today.
"Things are difficult, but this is a time for investment. We are ideally placed."
Brigg and Goole MP Ian Cawsey said: "5,000 jobs for the South Bank is great.
"It's potentially complementary with existing industries."
7 Comments
View all
by Bernard, Sth Killingholme.
Saturday, March 13 2010, 10:42AM
“Josephine.
If the electorate do the right thing on 6th May then all you have to do is ask one of the grinning faces on the photo.
They should all have exited the "GATEWAY" on the way to their retirement homes.
One important person missing from the photo shoot launching the Labour party election campaign. Was this the day when he was in the Dock??
And i don't mean Immingham or Grimsby dock...If only.”
by josephine white, Grimsby
Saturday, March 13 2010, 7:12AM
“What's a "Gateway" when it's at home?
Everywhere you look it's 'Gateway' this, and 'Gateway' that ..
WHAT'S A DAMN GATEWAY???”
by steve, Grimsby
Friday, March 12 2010, 7:36PM
“Saw our wonderful MP in town today must be POETS day.
He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I wish him a long and healthy retirement.”
by Martyn, Grimsby
Friday, March 12 2010, 5:47PM
“Isn't it amazing? The area has been in decline for decades, but with the prospect of, or the belief in, substantial parliamentary majorities to come, neither party saw fit to do anything much to help Humberside. Now that New Labour are facing a serious defeat at the next general election we have things like this being rushed through the feasibility phase.
However, when one takes a realistic look at the likelihood of the proposals ever becoming fact one has to ask, where is the money for these projects going to come from, will changes to the ports rating system damage the chances of private investment, and is the region¿s international trade sufficiently buoyant to need all this extra port capacity?
Having been told that economic recovery in the U.K. is going to be a slow and long drawn-out process, one is forced to wonder.
Anything that will provide sustainable growth and offer opportunities for new employment will be very welcome indeed, but spending hundreds of millions for the facilities to lie unused year after year through lack of demand hardly makes financial sense.
Am I the only one who sees this as a case of electioneering, rather than as a serious hope of regeneration?”
by Bernard, Sth Killingholme.
Friday, March 12 2010, 3:37PM
“Gerry. Cleethorpes.
No chance on any vote that will stop the ruination of Nth and Sth Killingholme i'm afraid.
The useless Labour politicians both nationally and locally could not care less what sort of dangers and pollution they inflict on this area because they don't have to live near it.
Will any compensation be paid to the people who have paid good money for property only to find out it's not worth anything due to the industry and filth that's in the air? NO.
Has any work been done on the area's allready over congested roads. NO.
Have these politicians studied reports by the Environment department at NLC which state that certain pollutants allready present in the air are reaching maximum accepted levels and will soon be breached. No. (well i very much doubt it or they would not be even considering ANY more development)
The truth is they want to take the credit for a few jobs, They aren't even sure about the figures there either. One minute it's 5,000. next it's 10,000. now it's 15,000.
More chance of finding out how long a piece of string is.”