'Skegness needs a bypass to attract more visitors'

A call has been made for a bypass to be built around Skegness to tackle traffic problems in the resort and attract more visitors.

Chris Baron, chairman of Connected Coast, said holidaymakers on the Lincolnshire coast did not want to be "stuck in traffic jams", and a bypass would provide a solution.

Connected Coast has funding for places such as Skegness and Mablethorpe, and currently has more than £130m to invest.

Lincolnshire County Council's executive member for highways, Richard Davies, said the possibility of a bypass had been looked at "quite extensively", but it was not an affordable option.

Speaking during a 'hotseat' on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, Mr Baron said: "The road networks are a problem and we're going to lobby on that as much as possible."

He said a bypass would make it easier to travel between resorts, including Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards.

"It's more of an issue getting around the coast, as opposed to getting to the coast. We need a bypass around Skegness to make that traffic easier," he said.

According to Connected Coast, Skegness attracts four million visitors every year, helping to bring more than £800m in economic benefits to the district of East Lindsey.

But Davies said it was unlikely a bypass would be eligible for government funding.

"Alone, we can't fund a bypass for Skegness," he said.

The county council previously proposed to build a relief road around Skegness, but plans were axed in 2023 due to funding.

Connected Coast was formed in 2021 after Skegness and Mablethorpe won a combined £49m from the Conservative government's Towns Fund to regenerate towns.

The money has funded projects including a £7.5m redevelopment of the 1950s colonnade structure in Sutton on Sea and improvements to the Skegness foreshore.

But Mr Baron said more could be done to attract visitors to Skegness all year round, and not just for the "sun, sea and sand" in the summer.

"It's so easy to criticise Skegness, or the coast, but I've lived there most of my life and it is beautiful," Mr Baron said.

"We have to celebrate what we're doing, but concentrate on making ourselves even better."

Candidates vying to become the first elected mayor of Greater Lincolnshire have also commented on the issue as the mayor will oversee decision-making on issues such as housing and transport.

Sally Horscroft, the Green Party candidate, said: "I can see the pressure on local people, but building new roads costs a lot of money and is poor for the environment."

Meanwhile, Andrea Jenkyns, the Reform UK candidate, said: "We need a joined-up approach to transport across the whole of the county be it road, rail or buses.

"This is why I would form TfGL (Transport for Greater Lincolnshire)," she added.

Independent Marianne Overton said: "It's important to preserve the attractiveness of places for residents and tourists. We need to ensure traffic is carefully managed."

Conservative candidate Rob Waltham said: "Yes, Skegness does need a bypass, as do many other places in Lincolnshire, but we have to make the coast secure from flooding first."

Trevor Young, the Liberal Democrat candidate, said there were many areas where major road improvements were needed, adding there was a need to have a conversation about a bypass in Skegness.

"Devolution would help those discussions to take place," he said.

Labour's candidate Jason Stockwood has yet to respond to a request for comment.

Nominations for mayor closed on 2 April ahead of the election on 1 May.

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