Freshney Place

Freshney Place is a shopping centre in the centre of Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. It occupies a major retail position immediately north of Victoria Street, the town's principal pedestrianised shopping street, and forms part of the modern commercial core of Grimsby. The centre contains more than 100 shops and has historically been associated with major anchor tenants including Marks & Spencer, Next, Primark and Deichmann. Reference material describes annual footfall of approximately 14 million visits and employment for more than 2,000 retail workers, although those figures are not accompanied here by a separate current measurement date. The development was built between 1967 and 1971 through a joint venture involving the former Grimsby Borough Council and Hammerson's UK Ltd. It was originally named the Riverhead Centre, a reference to the area near the meeting point of the Freshney and Haven waterways. The project represented a large-scale post-war reconstruction of the town centre and replaced a substantial amount of older urban fabric, including the historic Bull Ring and several long-established streets such as Flottergate, Brewery Street and East St Mary's Gate. The redevelopment also removed an ornate Victorian Midland Bank building, replacing it with a contemporary structure integrated into the new centre. These changes reflected the retail-planning priorities of the 1960s but also generated controversy because of the loss of historic architecture and street patterns. The centre's retail offer expanded during the 1980s. In 1983, Marks & Spencer acquired the local Lawson and Stockdale department store, whose frontage faced Victoria Street. The former building was demolished and replaced with a new Marks & Spencer store connected to the shopping centre, strengthening the centre's role as a destination for department-store and mainstream fashion shopping. A further transformation followed in the early 1990s. In 1990, the council agreed to sell the surface parking land around the centre to Hammerson's UK Ltd. The parties also agreed to relocate Baxtergate, the road running behind the centre, alongside the River Freshney. The relocated road became the first phase of Peaks Parkway. Hammerson then undertook a redevelopment reported at a cost of £100 million, approximately doubling the centre's size. The enlarged complex was enclosed beneath a glass roof and supported by two multi-storey car parks positioned at opposite ends of the centre. The project effectively roofed over and privatised much of the former open-air Top Town area of Grimsby, while retaining connections with the town's public shopping network and the council-operated indoor market. The redevelopment incorporated practical servicing infrastructure as well as retail space. Shops could be serviced at first-floor level using ramps at the western end, with access suitable for large delivery vehicles. The same ramp system also provided access to rooftop parking associated with the indoor market. During construction in 1992, the site of the former Austin Friary, which had existed from approximately 1293 until the Dissolution period in the sixteenth century, was discovered. Human remains from the friary cemetery were subsequently reinterred at Scartho Road Cemetery. The expanded centre received a design commendation in the Refurbishment category of the 1993 BCSC awards. Today, Freshney Place is best understood as a regional town-centre shopping destination rather than a conventional consumer-product brand. Its identity is tied to its location, enclosed retail environment, national tenant mix, pedestrian accessibility, parking provision and role in Grimsby's commercial life. Ownership, current management arrangements, official web presence and present tenant composition are not established by the supplied reference material.

Freshney Place originated as the Riverhead Centre, a major post-war redevelopment of central Grimsby. Construction took place from 1967 to 1971 through a joint venture between the former Grimsby Borough Council and Hammerson's UK Ltd. The name Riverhead reflected the centre's location near the confluence of the Freshney and Haven. Its construction followed the prevailing 1960s model of replacing older town-centre streets and buildings with a planned modern retail complex. The development had a significant physical and historical effect on Grimsby. It removed much of the old centre, including the Bull Ring and several streets with medieval or early-modern origins. Flottergate was located near what later became an entrance to the centre, while Brewery Street and East St Mary's Gate were also lost or substantially erased from the urban layout. The ornate Victorian Midland Bank branch was demolished and replaced by a contemporary building incorporated into the scheme. The scale of the intervention led to controversy over the destruction of historic architecture, even as the new centre created a more concentrated retail district. In 1983, Marks & Spencer expanded its presence in Grimsby by purchasing Lawson and Stockdale, a local department store fronting Victoria Street. The older building was demolished and a new Marks & Spencer store was built and linked to the shopping centre. This change helped reinforce the centre's relationship with the main pedestrian shopping street and its importance to national retailers. The next major phase began in 1990, when the council agreed to sell the surface parking area around the shopping centre to Hammerson's UK Ltd. The centre's owner and the highway authority, Humberside County Council, also agreed to sell and relocate Baxtergate, the road behind the centre. Baxtergate was moved beside the River Freshney, becoming the first phase of Peaks Parkway. Hammerson subsequently carried out a reported £100 million redevelopment that approximately doubled the retail centre's size. The expanded complex was enclosed under a glass roof, creating a weather-protected shopping environment. Two multi-storey car parks were built at either end, and service ramps at the western end allowed shops to receive deliveries at first-floor level, including deliveries by large vehicles. The ramp also connected to rooftop parking for the indoor market operated by the local council. Through this redevelopment, the former open-air Top Town area was effectively enclosed and placed within a privately managed retail setting. Archaeological remains were found during the 1992 redevelopment. The site of the Austin Friary, established around 1293 and dissolved during the Reformation period between 1538 and 1539, was identified, together with human remains from its cemetery. Those remains were ultimately reinterred at Scartho Road Cemetery. The project was later recognised with a design commendation in the Refurbishment category of the 1993 BCSC awards. The centre subsequently became known as Freshney Place and developed into a major Grimsby shopping destination. Reference material describes a complex with more than 100 stores, major anchor retailers and substantial annual footfall. The supplied sources do not establish its current owner, management company, official website, present tenant list or any later redevelopment chronology.

• 1993

  Design commendation

  [1]Freshney Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The redeveloped centre received a commendation in the Refurbishment category of the BCSC awards.

• 1992

  Austin Friary remains discovered

  [1]Freshney Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Archaeological remains of the former Austin Friary and its cemetery were found during the major redevelopment; human remains were later reinterred at Scartho Road Cemetery.

• 1990

  Parking land and Baxtergate arrangements

  [1]Freshney Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The council agreed to sell surrounding surface parking land to Hammerson's UK Ltd, while Baxtergate was relocated beside the River Freshney.

• 1983

  Marks & Spencer becomes a linked anchor

  [1]Freshney Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Marks & Spencer acquired Lawson and Stockdale, demolished its Victoria Street premises and built a replacement store connected to the centre.

• 1971

  Riverhead Centre completed

  [1]Freshney Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The original shopping-centre development was completed, replacing substantial portions of Grimsby's older central street and building fabric.

• 1967

  Construction begins

  [1]Freshney Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the Riverhead Centre began as a joint venture involving the former Grimsby Borough Council and Hammerson's UK Ltd.

A large enclosed town-centre shopping destination serving Grimsby and the surrounding area through a broad national-retailer mix, central pedestrian access, parking infrastructure and an integrated indoor-market environment.

• Retail category

  Fashion and apparel retail

  Freshney Place's principal commercial role is the provision of mainstream fashion and apparel shopping through national and other retailers. The centre's anchor mix has included Marks & Spencer, Next and Primark, covering department-store clothing, contemporary high-street fashion and value-oriented apparel. The enclosed layout allows this offer to operate as part of a concentrated, weather-protected town-centre destination.

• Retail category

  Footwear

  Footwear is represented within the centre's national retail mix, including Deichmann as one of the identified anchor or major stores. The category complements the centre's apparel offer and contributes to its role as a general-purpose fashion destination rather than a specialist shopping complex.

• Market and general retail

  Indoor market

  The centre is integrated with an indoor market operated by the local council. The market broadens the destination beyond national chains and is supported by rooftop parking reached through the development's servicing and access-ramp infrastructure.

• 1990

  Expansion of the centre site and transport layoutStrategy

  Background

  The existing centre and its surface parking occupied a strategically important part of central Grimsby, while Baxtergate ran behind the complex.

  Action taken

  The council agreed to sell the surrounding surface parking area to Hammerson's UK Ltd, and Baxtergate was relocated alongside the River Freshney as part of the first phase of Peaks Parkway.

  Aftermath

  The arrangements enabled a much larger redevelopment of the shopping centre and changed the road and parking structure around the town-centre retail district.

  Source

• 1990

  Major covered-centre redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  Hammerson's UK Ltd pursued a substantial expansion of the Riverhead Centre to modernise and enlarge the town's principal shopping complex.

  Action taken

  The centre was approximately doubled in size, enclosed beneath a glass roof and supported by two multi-storey car parks. First-floor servicing ramps and rooftop market parking were also incorporated.

  Aftermath

  The former open-air Top Town area became an enclosed retail environment and the enlarged centre received a BCSC design commendation in 1993.

  Reported redevelopment cost. £100 million (Early 1990s redevelopment)

  Source

1. 1Freshney Placeen.wikipedia.org