Plans approved to turn Grimsby's ex-YMCA building into 'care village'

The building in Peaks Lane will be transformed into a care facility with 60-80 beds under the plans

Plans to transform a former YMCA site in Grimsby into a care village have been approved.

The facility in Peaks Lane was occupied by the charity from 1973 to 2021, when it moved to its current location in Freeman Street.

Plans include a residential care home, with 60-80 beds, along with independent living accommodation.

The care village would employ 75 full-time and 25 part-time staff, the applicant said.

Parts of the existing building, including the former sports hall, would be demolished to improve the layout.

However, the former YMCA bedrooms would remain and be used as short-term lets or accommodation for contract workers, staff, relatives and other visitors, the Durham-based developer said.

A meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee last week heard the site had been designated for sports and recreational use.

However, councillors were told the developers had agreed a contribution towards providing alternative facilities.

Officials welcomed the scheme, with Councillor Janet Goodwin saying she was glad the building was being brought back into use.

"I was worried what was going to happen to that building when the YMCA moved out," she said.

Outline plans were unanimously approved at the meeting, but further planning permission will be needed before building begins, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The YMCA moved into its £8m hostel in Freeman Street in 2021 after it was decided the Peaks Lane site was no longer fit for purpose.