Cashpot of £50,000 brings marina proposal for Gainsborough a step forward

West Lindsey District Council and Lincolnshire County Council have created a £50,000 funding pot to check the suitability of the site and look at the viability of building a marina adjoining the River Trent at Carr Lane, Gainsborough.

Earlier this year, planners supported the scheme, which features proposals for a 200-berth marina and up to 450 homes.

Diane Krochmal, West Lindsey council’s housing zone programme manager, said: “The marina is part of West Lindsey’s wider vision for the town.

“The new marina is a transformational project that would help reinstate Gainsborough as a waterways destination.

“It would strengthen links to the town’s rich past as an inland port, which featured riverside wharfs, mills and supported a shipbuilding industry.”

Councillor Colin Davie, county council executive councillor for development, said: “Lincolnshire County Council is pleased to be able to support West Lindsey District Council in exploring this exciting opportunity.

“If successful, it would enable Gainsborough to capitalise on its riverside location and bring quality developments into the town.

“However, before we start these works, it is important to ensure the scheme is viable.

“The first stages of the feasibility work are already well under way, with studies taking place to understand the suitability of the site and the potential costs of construction.

“Gainsborough is the only market town on the Trent between Newark and the Humber Estuary and is at the centre of several other navigations, including the Fossdyke and Chesterfield Canals, so it is extremely well placed to benefit from a marina.

“The marina would be a significant boost to the local economy, bringing additional visitors to Gainsborough, creating new jobs and lifting property values.”

Andy Jee, county council senior special projects officer, said:“The next steps will be to consider the scale of the marina and the facilities it would have to offer to attract boaters to visit Gainsborough, or use it as a base at which to keep their boat to access the area’s rivers and canals.

“Beyond that, further work will be done, including the detailed design and specification of the marina, its environmental and economic impacts, consents and permissions applications and the formation of a funding strategy.

“All together the process is likely to take about a year to complete.”