IMAGE:
AL
AMY
The UK coast, after all, has never
lacked show-stopping beauty, from
the craggy drama of Northern
Ireland’s Causeway Coast and the
horizon-wide beaches of the Outer
Hebrides to the castle-studded
shorelines of Northumberland and
the aspic-preserved loveliness of
the Isles of Scilly.
Sea change
However, it’s not an entirely
idyllic picture. The British
seaside has for decades juggled
complex issues, among them the
realities of social deprivation
— something highlighted by
Simon Reeve’s warts-and-all
Cornwall series, set during the
pandemic. There’s also the
pressing issue of environmental
care, and the perils of allowing
too many second homes. It all
means that the current tranche
of regeneration and investment
is a tricky balancing act.
But in the East Sussex town of
Hastings, which even the local
tourist board website describes
as ‘an oyster that comes with
its own grit’, Covid-19 has had
an unexpected impact. “Before
the pandemic, a lot of people
here had disposable income but
were working in London,” says
Ned Braxton, co-owner of local
brewhouse Brewing Brothers.
“As soon as Covid happened and
people were working from home,
there was a realisation: ‘This is
my home, I like it. Let’s invest and
make it as good as possible.’”
It added momentum to
a change that was already
gathering pace. Brewing Brothers
opened its second Hastings bar
in 2021 as one of the tenants of
The Courtyard, a new seafront
development in former public
baths that had stood derelict
for decades. Elsewhere in town,
the Hastings Contemporary art
gallery reopened in 2019, while
Hastings Fat Tuesday music
festival — the UK’s largest Mardi
Gras celebration — is now in its
12th year. “The regeneration feels
authentic here,” says Braxton.
“It’s been driven by Hastings
people doing their own thing.”
The long-term impact of new
developments can be significant.
Since the opening of the Turner
Contemporary art gallery and
the renovation of the Dreamland
amusement park in the 2 010s,
the Kent town of Margate has
been seen as a resort that’s going
places, albeit on a sometimes
rocky journey. Hoping for a
similar boost to its profile is
Lancashire’s Morecambe, which
has received planning permission
for the Eden Project North, a
£125m attraction with a projected
opening date of 2 024.
The potential is vast, according
to John O’Neill of Lancaster &
District Chamber of Commerce.
“On a good summer’s day in
Morecambe we might get 8,00 0
to 10,00 0 visitors, but that tails
off in winter,” he says. “However,
if you’re attracting 6,00 0 to 7 ,0 00
visitors every day, 52 weeks a
year, you suddenly change the
local economy and people’s
attitudes. So, this is not just
another leisure development.
It has wider ramifications for
education, health, business and
the environment.”
Morecambe Bay itself has the
UK’s largest expanse of intertidal
mudflats and sand, making
it not only wildlife-rich but
scientifically vital, a key reason
for its selection as the home of
Eden Project North. The hope is
Five British
seaside towns
to watch
PORTHCAWL
Home to the annual Elvis
Festival, the Victorian resort
enjoys a prime location
on the South Wales coast
between Swansea and
Cardiff, with Kenfig Nature
Reserve’s dunes on its
doorstep. elvies.co.uk
WEYMOUTH
A decade after hosting
the London 2012 Olympic
Games’ sailing, Weymouth’s
Georgian seafront and Blue
Flag beach has potential.
Much is planned, from a
remodelling of the harbour
to the restoration of
historical quay buildings.
visit-dorset.com
NORTH BERWICK
One of the best places to
live in Scotland in 2022
according to The Times,
this East Lothian seaside
resort, half an hour by train
from Edinburgh is home
to handsome beaches and
hip coffee shops. Home
to one of the world’s
oldest golf courses, it has
bags of holiday heritage.
visiteastlothian.org
FOLKESTONE
Ninety buildings were
restored to create
Folkestone’s Creative
Quarter, ‘an urban village
of designers, filmmakers,
musicians, web developers
and artists’. The Kent resort
is about an hour from
London and its restored
Harbour Arm promenade
is turning into a hub for
independent businesses.
visitkent.co.uk
NORTH SHIELDS
This Tyneside town, just
eight miles from Newcastle,
has drawn headlines for the
rebirth of its 13th-century
Fish Quay, which has
evolved from an industrial
quarter into a lively area
of pubs, restaurants
and creative venues.
More redevelopments
are in the works.
visitnorthtyneside.com
Margate is home to the Turner
Contemporary art gallery
JUNE 2022 157
BRITISH SEASIDE
