coastal towns project interim report v.1
TRANSCRIPT
Coastal Towns ProjectScoping phase July 2008
Dominic CampbellProject manager, FutureGov
http://coastaltowns.wordpress.com
Photo: http://snurl.com/2xec2
There'll be buckets, spades and bingo, cockles, mussels, rainy days,seaweed and sand castles, icy waves,Deck chairs, rubber dinghies, old vests, braces dangling down,sun-tanned stranded starfish in a daze.
Oh Blackpool,oh Blackpool.
“Up the ‘Pool”, Roy Harper (1996)
Seaside sunshine
It's a warm day, the sun is shiningSomeone says 'let's go to Brighton’…We left a London a-where it's hotWe're heading for our favourite spotDown on the coast way past the town of CrawleyWhere the breeze blows and the air tastes of the seaWe a-walk along the promenade pierSpend a pound or two on fun and beerThen look around, see what we can seeBikini girls and everybody smiling happily
“The Seaside Shuffle”, Terry Dactyl and The Dinosaurs (1972)
Trudging slowly over wet sandBack to the bench where your clothes were stolenThis is the coastal townThat they forgot to close downArmageddon - come armageddon!Come, armageddon! come!
Everyday is like sundayEveryday is silent and grey
Hide on the promenadeEtch a postcard :How I dearly wish I was not hereIn the seaside town...that they forgot to bombCome, come, come - nuclear bomb
Coastal erosion
“Everyday is like Sunday” Morrissey (1988)
The seaside needs us more than ever
“Seaside”, Ordinary Boys (2004)
1. Project background
2. Scoping the project
3. Key policy initiatives
4. Priorities and policy headlines
5. Next stepsAgenda
Project background
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariajc/230113604/
Many English coastal towns have been experiencing a long-term economic and social decline
Since 2005 there has been a resurgence in interest in policy for coastal towns at a national level
Policy remains in early stages of development at national level, in the past tending to focus on ‘hard’ regeneration fixes with little attention paid to wider place shaping agenda until very recently
Coastal Towns project aims to support and supplement current policy development in this field with particular focus on working with local authorities responsible for coastal towns to develop place shaping strategies
Summary
To supplement current national policy work on coastal towns and seaside resorts
To support the delivery of an agenda for action for place shaping in English coastal areas
To raise the profile of coastal towns in national policy
To identify some of the key issues and challenges facing local authorities managing coastal towns
To support local leaders to develop organisational capacity and place shaping strategies and to ensure the future success of coastal areas
Project aims
This project will focus on a number of key research questions including:
What makes a coastal town successful and how can their local authorities identify and build on their key factors of competitive advantage?
Conversely, where are coastal towns currently failing in Britain and why?
What are the key barriers to success (skills, transport etc)?
What are the characteristics of the resident and visitor populations of coastal towns? How does this impact on the success of these towns?
How can coastal towns work better together to ensure success?
What are the key challenges for leadership and place shaping within coastal local authorities?
Key research questions
Scoping the project
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbararich/221443998/
Headline quantitative analysis and benchmarking of coastal areas using Local Futures’ Local Knowledge system
Conversations with group of local authorities and other stakeholder organisations
Review of existing coastal towns related groups and partnerships
High level literature review of policy landscape
Project blog
Scoping phase activities
East Sussex County Council
East Lindsey Council
Canterbury Council
South East Economic Development Agency (SEEDA)
Communities and Local Government (CLG)
British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA)
Audit Commission
British Resorts and Destinations Association
Organisations consulted with
Seaside resort vs coastal town vs local authority area by the sea
Perhaps we’re talking about a Coastal Councils project then?
How best do we select areas to focus on?
How do we best categorise different types of coastal towns?
How many should include in all – 35, 37, all?
How many we want to have in core group? Which are the key authorities?
Do we want a diverse group or more homogenous? Diverse with one representing each ‘category’ of place?
‘Coastal’ ‘towns’: getting to a definition
BURA Seaside Network (over 70 member cross-sector organisations)
LGA Coastal Issues Special Interest Group (over 50 members)
Permanent cross-departmental working group on coastal towns, recently set up and led by Communities and Local Government (6 departments)
Regional Development Agency network (led by South East England Development Agency)
Coastal Communities Group (30+ members)
British Resorts and Destinations Association (60+ members)
Coastal Action Zone (Lincolnshire)
South East Coastal Group (Kent and Sussex)
Urban Regeneration Companies
Existing networks
Our list of 35 authorities
Arun East Lindsey Shepway
Berwick-upon-Tweed Eastbourne South Hams
Blackpool Fareham Southampton
Bournemouth Gosport Southend-on-Sea
Brighton and Hove Great Yarmouth Suffolk Coastal
Canterbury Hastings Thanet
Caradon Isle of Wight Torbay
Carrick Kerrier West Somerset
Christchurch North East Linconshire Weymouth and Portland
Colchester Poole Wirral
Dover Scarborough Worthing
Easington Sefton
Bold text = overlap with CLG’s list of 37 coastal towns
Policy headlines and priorities
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davedove/2534546426/#DiscussPhoto
CLG’s third and definitive update (April 2008) in response to the committee agreed to take forward 4 areas:
1. Benchmarking study
2. Study into incapacity benefits
3. Review alternative approaches to measuring the importance of tourism
4. Update day visitor indicator in formula grant distribution
In addition, cross-government working group to pay particular attention to skills, employment and housing issues faced in coastal towns
CLG response to Parliamentary select committee report
£45m investment over 3 years
Cultural and heritage projects
Blackpool, Dover and Torbay first to receive £4m each in year one
Further 12 grants of £200,000 - £1,000,000 each year
CABE Sea Change initiative
Lobby Government to “coastal proof” policy, initiatives and funding
Facilitate networking of Coastal Local Authorities and Coastal RDAs
To be a focal point and reference group for coastal debate and research
Disseminate the knowledge of Alliance partners
Support the cross-departmental working group
To work with SEEDA and RDAs to facilitate the role out of best practice in socio economic work with communities on the coast
Ensure that the review of the Sub National Economic and Regeneration Strategy is cross-referenced against key coastal issues
Ensure that the voice and experiences of smaller coastal areas are represented at central Government level
Coastal Communities Alliance
Coastal strategy
Lead on RDA coastal towns network
Draft strategy “Coastal South East: a framework for action”, with four action areas including
1. Identify and build high quality mixed use development sites
2. Improve productivity and business performance across a range of sectors
3. Develop priorities for investment to improve coastal connectivity across a number of modes
4. Build civic leadership, skills and aspirations to build a strong economy
Coastal South East: a framework for action (SEEDA)
Lack of skilled workforce
Low levels of economic development
Housing affordability and quality
Periperality and connectivity
Poor health
Lack of aspiration
Reliance on state benefits
Common issues
Lobby for coastal towns to be treated as per any other town on investment in core public services
Economic growth (mixed views on how best to achieve)
Skills and education
Tackling low employment and participation rates as well as high levels of benefit claims
Housing quality and mix
Transport (air of resignation?)
Climate change (covered by Defra/Environment Agency?)
Profile raising and reimagining of coastal towns (for instance develop young, vibrant and up market image)
Common priorities
More balanced approach to regeneration – all agree the regeneration agenda needs to move beyond merely the ‘hard’ infrastructure (promenades and civic art) into other areas such as housing policy and educations and skills
Opportunities to innovate – digital economy, innovative transport solutions, sustainability agenda
Coordinated ‘diverse specialisation’ to avoid zero sum game competing between coastal towns – understand sense of place and each build own strong identity/place brand
Chance for coastal areas to work together and better link up cross-authority and cross-sector coastal networks (for instance CCA to provide capacity for a core cities style group)
Emerging opportunities
Next steps
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10239287@N06/2068605305/
Interviews with wider group of stakeholders
Further research
Resident satisfaction data
Learning from CPA and other inspections
International good practice research
Social media campaign “what’s it like to be beside the seaside?” to gather resident and visitor views on coastal towns advertised locally by authorities
Report production, including creation of typologies for coastal councils
October policy summit
Project scope and work plan
For a comprehensive list of key literature on coastal towns and seaside resorts, please visit:
http://del.icio.us/coastaltowns
References
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10239287@N06/2319194858/