STREET furniture designed to rest, chat or exercise on has been installed along Cleethorpes’ North Prom – but it comes with a reminder for people to comply with lockdown and resist the temptation to use or view it straight away.
21 bespoke pieces have been put into place in two areas along the popular coastal walkway. Made possible as part of the wider North Prom cultural and arts project, it has been funded by the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund, (CCF) secured by CoastNEL and supported by North East Lincolnshire Council.
It is hoped that once present Covid restrictions are lifted, people will be encouraged to spend more time along the Prom, with individuals and groups using the multi-purpose structures. Some of it will also sit on soft play surfaces.
Until such time however, people must adhere to all the social distancing and health and safety guidelines regarding touching surfaces and using equipment to exercise. Once restrictions are eased, hand sanitiser stations are being installed near the furniture for added hygiene.
“For now, we ask people to admire this new furniture but only as part of their daily exercise if the North Prom is within their locality. As required, nobody should be journeying down there unless they have a valid reason. Of course, like everyone, I hope that by the late spring or summer we can visit and enjoy what will be a fantastic new talking point and addition to the area,” said North East Lincolnshire Council leader, Cllr Philip Jackson.
Managed by the council’s regeneration partner ENGIE, the project saw the commission of award-winning designers Freshwest. The firm created the 21 individual wooden pieces, which include tall wooden chairs that overlook the sea, press up benches for people to sit on and exercise ‘loungers’. The timber and stainless-steel construction is durable with the high-quality finish taking account of the seafront setting.
Simon Macro, Freshwest co-founder, explained how his visits to the resort and chats with various people there had coloured the work that had been done.
“We were challenged to create something robust that was unusual and engaging. The furniture is designed as a family of objects, each with their own character and personality. We also set about designing the pieces with exercise in mind. That was part of the brief and we really wanted to embrace it,” he said.
“When we visited Cleethorpes, we noticed how people were using the promenade to exercise but what also struck us was the beautiful vista and we wanted to make the most of that view,” added Simon.
“These are not designed like the equipment you see in parks though, which are purely for exercise, they are very much multi-use – we want to encourage visitors to both exercise, play and relax along the prom,” said Simon.
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