Proposals for the care of the coastThe future of Formby

The National Trust looks after over 775 miles of coastline, with a commitment to protect it‘for ever, for everyone’.

Here at Formby we have been considering what this means for the future care of thisunique and rapidly changing stretch of Seftoncoastline.

The coast is transforming before our eyes, asFormby’s sand dunes roll inwards at a rate of 3-4metres a year. This motion creates some of thebest mobile sand dune habitats in the UK.

The natural beauty of the area means it is muchloved by local residents, and attracts largenumbers of visitors from further afield.

Together, we need to find a way to protect thelandscape and secure the future of rarehabitats. We also need to ensure this specialpart of the coast can be enjoyed by all thosewho love it.

The Formby Coast…

Many parts of the Formby coast are thriving.There are large areas of unspoilt naturalbeauty, and the moving dunes supportpopulations of rare species including thenorthern dune tiger beetle, natterjack toadand sand lizard. The beach is an internationalsite for overwintering seabirds and thewoodlands are home to red squirrels.Thousands of visitors come to Formby everyyear to enjoy this stretch of coastline.

In planning for the future, we need to carefullybalance conservation with the needs ofvisitors and the local community. Busy daysput pressure on the natural environment, andat times our current visitor facilities struggleto meet demand.

We also have to work with our shiftingshoreline. As the dunes roll back, some areasare subject to ‘coastal squeeze’. For example,erosion of the frontal dunes at Victoria Road means that the dune habitat isnarrowing: squeezed between the beach and the developed land of the car park andwoodland behind.

The movement of the dunes also reduces car parking capacity year on year as rubblefrom the base of the car park is exposedthrough erosion and deposited on the beach.We need to find a way to provide adequateparking, and a safe, natural environment forvisitors to the beach.

In 2017, the National Trust began caring for an additional 204 hectares of land at LifeboatRoad and Ravenmeols Local Nature Reserve.We now have the opportunity to join uphabitats, restore natural processes and developnew ways to engage visitors with nature acrossthe whole of the Formby coast.

Looking forward

“We need to work with our local communityto find the best ways to adapt to changingdemands on the coast. We’re committed toenhancing the experience of our visitorswhilst being at the forefront of goodpractice in nature conservation.”

Andrew BrockbankCountryside Manager, National Trust Formby

The Formby Point project has been set up toseize the opportunities and meet the challengesof the future. We will work to deliver betternature conservation across Formby’s dunecoast, taking opportunities to restore andreconnect dune habitats.

We are committed to involving the localcommunity in the development of plans. In2017, we held a number of public consultationsacross Formby. We talked to local residents,visitors, business groups and otherstakeholders, and collected almost 300comments detailing the community’s hopes,concerns and ideas for the future.

The Formby Pointproject

To see the consultation report, go to: www.bit.ly/2vpDx5k

Community consultations have helped toshape our ideas and now we want yourcontribution to the resulting proposals.

We intend to:

• Prioritise nature conservation• Improve visitor access and enjoyment of the site• Develop new ways to involve people in caring for the Formby coast

Formby Point project:where are we now?

This will ensure that we meet our commitments asthe National Trust. We’re here to look after specialplaces and the places people live, create experiencesthat move, teach and inspire, and ensure a healthy,beautiful and natural environment.

Following our discussions with the Formby community, we propose to:

1. Improve nature conservation at Formby:

• Work with coastal processes and embrace natural change• Enhance and connect habitats along the coast in our care • Protect the wild and remote character of the areas to the North and South of the site• Ensure that heavily used visitor routes are robust, and divert ‘busy day’ visitors from vulnerable areas

2. Build relationships and work more closely with the Formby community:

• Create more opportunities for public involvement in the care of the Formby coast• Develop new traffic and parking strategies, and communicate better with residents and visitors at busy times• Identify ways to work more closely with Formby’s business community

3. Improve the experience of those who visit the site:

• Provide catering, toilets, and a place for people to meet at Lifeboat Road• Offer visitors varied opportunities so they can enjoy the site in their own way, all year round• Maintain visitor parking across the site, and look at options for replacing spaces being lost at Victoria Road car park

The following pages explain why we have chosen these proposals, and what they are likely to involve.

The National Trust is a conservationorganisation, and local people told us that caringfor nature was important for them too. We haveidentified opportunities to improve our rarehabitats by connecting them to one another,increasing their size and improving their quality.

We wish to prioritise habitat improvement andfocus on key vulnerable species, includingnatterjack toads and sand lizards.

We are also committed to managing thewoodland habitat of Formby’s famous and much loved red squirrels.

Improving natureconservation at Formby

We want to restore the dune habitat near toVictoria Road, which is the area under mostpressure. Making space for natural processes ofdune mobility will be key to this.

Working with coastalprocesses and embracingnatural change

Currently, the dune system is broken up byVictoria Road car park. Linking up the dunes tothe North and South of Victoria Road couldimprove the resilience of key species likenatterjack toads and sand lizards.

Enhancing and joining uphabitats along the coast

To find out more about what makes a healthy mobiledune system, take a look at: bit.ly/2voAeLt

People told us how they use the site and whatthey love about it. We want to ensure thatquieter areas to the north of Victoria Road and atthe Ravenmeols Local Nature Reserve retain theirwilder, undiscovered feel.

To do this we will focus on how people movethrough the landscape, where we place visitorfacilities and how we mark paths.

Ensuring that heavily usedvisitor routes are robust anddivert ‘busy day’ visitors fromvulnerable areasWe want to ensure that we protect the mostfragile parts of the landscape, and providerobust, accessible routes for those who want toget to the beach quickly on a sunny day.

We are undertaking a zoning exercise to establishwhich areas are most resilient, and can bestsupport the larger numbers of people that visit at busy times.

Protecting the wild, remotecharacter of areas to theNorth and South

Formby attracts a lot of visitors. Many peoplefeel that it attracts too many at peak times. Wewould like to spread our visitors out more evenlyacross the year and we do not wish to increasevisitor numbers at busy times. Bettercommunication with potential visitors beforethey make the decision to travel to Formby isimportant. We also want to plan events andfacilities to make Formby a more attractive placeto visit at quieter times of the year.

We need to find ways to reduce the pressure oftraffic on the surrounding area at busy times.People have suggested we should be supportinggreater use of cycling, walking and publictransport, providing off-site parking andimproving signage. We can’t solve this alone sowe aim to set up a working group with keypartners to investigate these ideas.

Encouraging people to visit at quieter times, anddeveloping new traffic andparking strategies

Many people have said that they wouldwelcome opportunities to become moreinvolved in caring for the Formby coast.

We know the support and involvement of localpeople is essential to deliver this project and tolook after Formby in the future.

We will develop new ways for people of all agesto get involved. We will prioritise giving our staffand volunteers the skills and confidence toengage with people, working closely with localschools and other groups.

Increasing communityinvolvement andparticipation

Local people told us that they wanted theNational Trust to be more involved andsupportive of the Formby community. We wantto work in partnership with our neighbours toachieve this. We will also focus on identifyingwhether the large number of people who visitthe Formby coast can bring additional benefitsto the village and the community as a whole.

Building links with Formby'sbusiness community

We wish to make better provision for our visitorsand ensure that they have a wonderfulexperience, whether they visit at quiet times oron our busiest days.

Giving visitors a range ofways to enjoy the Formbycoast, all year round

Improving the experience of visitors

In our community consultations many peopletold us they would like a hub where visitors canmeet, find out more about the Formby coast andbuy food and drinks.

We have looked at a number of possiblelocations. We favour Lifeboat Road as this area isless affected by coastal change, but we need tounderstand fully the impact of traffic movementsat busy times.

We want to provide toilets and catering atLifeboat Road. One suggestion is that this couldtake the form of an outlet with some indoorseating and a covered area for use by schools andother groups. This could improve the experienceof those visiting the site, and the income broughtin by the catering sales would also contribute toachieving our conservation goals.

Improving visitor facilities at Lifeboat Road

We know that people want different things fromtheir visit. We want to offer a range of ways toenjoy Formby. This could include family natureactivities, sharing stories about the history ofFormby or simply enjoying a day on the beach.We want to encourage people to visit Formby atquieter times throughout the year.

Parking at Formby meets visitor demand onmost days of the year, but sunny days can resultin long queues. Some residents and visitorswould like to see more on-site parking.However, increasing the amount of on-siteparking risks attracting even more visitors andcould threaten our conservation goals.

Given the pressure on busy days we would liketo maintain the number of parking spaces wealready have. We would need to make sure thatthis can be achieved in accordance with ourShifting Shores Policy and our commitment to ‘a healthy coastline, shaped by natural forces’.

As capacity is lost at Victoria Road car park, weneed to identify options for replacing theseparking spaces elsewhere.

Maintain parking across thesite, and consider options forreplacing parking spacesbeing lost at Victoria Road

To find out more about the National Trust’s approach to theshifting shores in its care, take a look at: bit.ly/2Ax5CgS

We are faced with big decisions at Victoria Road.The location of the car park detracts from thedevelopment of a healthy dune system. As thefrontal dunes retreat, the sand covers moreparking spaces every year, and at the same timerubble that was tipped to form the original carpark base falls on to the beach. This is unsightlyand presents a health and safety risk.

We have taken a lot of expert advice. We cannotstop this process; coastal change is forecast tocontinue indefinitely. Exploring the remainingoptions is a priority and we will involve localpeople in this key decision. This will thenunderpin how we manage our Victoria Road carpark and beach in the future, and influence ourdecisions around car parking across the site.

…find a solution at VictoriaRoad car park

We also need to…

Looking after Lifeboat Road and carrying out thesuggested work will require additional resources,including new staff, equipment and facilities.

These will need to be sustainable in the longterm, and the income from catering and othercommercial activities will have an important role here.

We need to identify in more detail what isrequired, and when and how it is best provided.We will also need to consider the expansion ofour existing base at Blundell Avenue toaccommodate new staff and equipment.

…provide the necessaryresources to support theplans

Next steps…

Consultation with the Formby community will help shape how thingsprogress. The next steps will also involve:

• Seeking internal approvals to develop more detailed proposals• Securing funding from both within and outside the organisation• Working with local people and stakeholders on the detail of the project• Deciding how we respond to coastal change at Victoria Road

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For alternative formats, please call us on 01704 878 591 or email formby@nationaltrust.org.uk