​Grimsby's Grade II-listed Ice Factory is being redeveloped in a scheme that will feature the UK's largest floating solar farm. The £100m project will transform the historic building and surrounding docks into a mixed-use complex combining culture, business, leisure and renewable energy. Planning permission has been secured for an events venue with capacity for 1,000 people, offices, a conference centre, and a 161-bedroom hotel.

A floating solar installation will form a central part of the scheme. Covering an area greater than the football pitch at Wembley Stadium, it will generate renewable power for the site. Developers said the system, alongside other planned green technologies, will provide tenants with free heating and electricity for 25 years. Other elements of the project include restaurants, an open-air pool, a marine centre and a research hub aimed at advancing offshore wind and maritime studies.

Dating back to 1900, the Ice Factory provided the ice needed to preserve catches landed by Grimsby's trawlers during the height of its fishing trade. Operations ceased in 1990, and the building has stood unused for more than three decades. The redevelopment is projected to span three years before reaching completion, although developers indicated that some tenants could begin moving into parts of the site as early as next year.

The addition of the solar farm is intended to make the complex largely self-sufficient in energy, reflecting a growing focus on integrating renewable power within major regeneration projects. The development is expected to contribute to Grimsby's wider role in the Humber region's renewable energy economy, which already includes significant investment in offshore wind.

Local leaders have welcomed the scheme as a major step in reviving a landmark building while supporting the transition to sustainable energy.