New plans to save 'at risk' landmark Grimsby Ice Factory

The huge ice-making factory is thought to be the earliest and largest known surviving building of its kinds in the world

Fresh plans are to be considered to repair a landmark building in Grimsby believed to be one of the most "at risk" heritage sites in Europe.

The Great Grimsby Ice Factory, built in 1900 and closed in 1990, is thought to be the earliest known surviving building of its kind in the world.

It was listed by heritage organisation Europa Nostra in 2018 as one of Europe's most endangered buildings.

The new application aimed to ensure it could be returned to "meaningful use".

The factory, which is Grade II-listed, was built on Grimsby Docks to provide crushed ice for the town's trawlers.

At its peak in the 1950s, it produced up to 1,200 tonnes of ice a day.

The building has previously featured on the Victorian Society's top 10 list of structures most at risk of being lost and it is listed on Historic England's Heritage At Risk Register.

A trust was established in 2010 to convert the Grade II-listed building into an arts and business centre, but it failed to secure funding.

The derelict factory is a Grade II-listed building and is on the heritage at risk register

A previous planning application in 2021 gained approval for repair works to the derelict structure's roof.

However, a new repair plan has since had to be devised due to "risks associated with original machinery still on site", according to applicant IF 1900 Ltd.

Planning documents stated the condition of the machinery in the ice factory was putting the building at risk, "as much of this equipment was tied back into the brick elevations of the building".

There was little to hold up the elevations while demolition works took place, which meant a safe working platform would need to be built to carry out repairs and remove and set aside original machinery, the documents added.

The new plan aimed to ensure "the interventions have a long-term function in order to make the greatest leap ahead in saving the building and bringing it back into meaningful use", Waugh Thistleton Architects said.

Tom Shutes, director of IF 1900 Ltd, has previously said he hoped to secure the factory's future for another century.