An abandoned theme park in Cleethorpes could be transformed into a £70million holiday complex, dubbed a 'Center Parcs by the sea', a decade after it closed. Pleasure Island, which opened in 1993 and once drew tens of thousands of visitors a year, has remained deserted since it shut in 2016.
Plans for the 60-acre site
The proposed development would cover a 60-acre site and include 272 holiday lodges with two to four bedrooms, two five-storey hotels (one with 148 rooms and another with 58 rooms), restaurants, a drive-thru coffee shop, retail units and a cycle hire centre. A large Lidl store and garden centre are also planned, with any remaining structures at the former theme park site proposed for removal.
The developer hopes to use the lake that remains on the site, adding a hub beside it with changing facilities, toilets and lockers, to achieve the 'Center Parcs by the sea' vision. If approved, the complex could create around 400 jobs, with an additional 400 during the construction phase.
Planning application deferred
Seaside Getaways, Church Lane Humberston Ltd, Lidl GB Ltd and YPG Fab2 Ltd sought permission in January 2023 to demolish the site and launch the new holiday centre. Environmental assessments, flood risk evaluations and ecological impact studies had to be completed before councillors could fully consider the proposal.
During the North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee meeting on Wednesday, 8 July, it was brought to attention that some letters were received in objection to the plans. Ms Lovejoy advised during the meeting that "the application be deferred in order to give officers, including legal officers, sufficient time to consider the letters and the points made within". The committee confirmed the application be deferred, and it remains unclear when the plans can move forward.
