ODPM Coastal Towns Consultation
DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL RESPONSE
Devon County Council welcomes the opportunity
to comment on ODPM's consultation
Set out below is the County Council's responses
to the questions relevant to its functions.
DESCRIPTION OF
ORGANISATION AND
RELEVANCE TO
THE INQUIRY
Devon County Council is the largest authority
in the South-West and Devon is the third largest county in England.
DCC has a special interest in this inquiry because Devon is the
only county with two coastlines (totalling 289 miles), which are
completely separated geographically. It also has a significant
number of coastal settlements, including 12 coastal towns. Furthermore,
approximately 90% of the population of Devon (730,000 for the
County Council area and 1,100,000 for the geographical county
of Devon using ONS forecasts for 2006 calculated on mid year estimates
2003) live in cities, towns and parishes within 10 miles of the
coast.
SECTION 1:
The Case for Special Initiatives to Tackle the
Needs of Coastal Towns
1.1 Devon County Council would fully support
a move towards special initiatives for coastal towns. This is
because of the particular issues they face as a result of their
unique environment, heritage and geography which is tied into
the strong interdependence that exists in coastal towns between
land and sea. Many of these issues (described below) are found
in other towns, but are compounded in coastal communities due
to their particular characteristics, whilst others are specific
to coastal communities.
Transport and Accessibility
1.2 Due to their coastal location, coastal
towns have a restricted overland geographical perspective which
differentiates them from other towns. This is often further restricted
by the existence of river estuaries. This physical boundary limits
the overland transport connections and as such restricts accessibility
and increases congestion.
1.3 Access and transport issues have been
exacerbated over time in many cases due to closure of local branch
line rail links and decline of links by sea. There are also difficulties
for access to bus services as indicated by the fact that only
29.5% of households in rural Devon live within a 13 minute walk
of an hourly bus service. As a result there is now an over reliance
on the car. 80% of visitors to Devon come by road and traffic
flows have increased by approximately 3% per annum since 2000.
This, combined with the limited number of roads in and out of
towns due to the restrictive valley and coastal location, tends
to result in significant congestion, particularly throughout the
peak holiday seasons.
1.4 The historical road system is often
inadequate to cope with the rising levels of vehicular traffic,
especially of a commercial nature. The limited number of road
bridges over river estuaries within the coastal town boundary
causes particular problems with traffic build up and circulation.
Infrastructure improvements are needed to improve access for freight,
including to facilitate port activity expansion, eg at Teignmouth
and Appledore, and also to create a more pleasant environment
within town centres.
1.5 The potential of our coastal town ports
and harbours could be greatly enhanced by removing transport from
roads and promoting more sustainable methods via the sea. For
example, the town of Ilfracombe has aspirations to re-open ferry
links with South Wales and Ireland to both increase the volume
of tourists and open up access to major centres, such as Swansea,
for the local population.
1.6 The historical core of coastal towns
tends to be focussed near the seafront because of the port/fishing
industry from which many became established. This often means
that as the town has expanded, mainly through housing development,
some residents can be isolated from the town centre. This is often
particularly true of housing estates, which are often areas of
social housing, built without no/few facilities. It is often exacerbated
by the steep hills that exist in many coastal towns which make
accessing services and shops on foot more difficult. Facilities
such as health, local retail, and employment tend to be very centralised,
or are frequently located outside at sub-regional centres involving
travel to access them (see attached table at Appendix 1). As such,
accessibility issues can exist both within the town as well as
externally.
1.7 Transport can act as a significant barrier
to social/economic inclusion, indicated by a recent survey by
the Government's Social Exclusion Unit which revealed that:
— 40% of jobseekers say lack of transport
is a barrier to getting a job.
— Over a 12 month period, one in four
people miss, turn down, or choose not to seek medical help because
of transport problems.
— 16% of people without cars find access
to supermarkets hard, compared with 6% of people with cars.
— 18% of non car owners find seeing
friends and family difficult because of transport problems.
1.8 There is therefore a particular need
for support for innovative community transport solutions and investment
in public transport. The forthcoming free bus travel for over
60s from 1 April is seen as an opportunity to fill spare off-peak
capacity and increase viability of, and access to, services.
1.9 The peripheral location can also make
coastal towns rather insular and inward looking, with a resistance
to change, which prevents them in some instances from taking full
advantage of new opportunities. However, there is also a strong
self-help attitude apparent in many coastal communities—largely
because of the relative isolation from the centre—this has
been particularly brought out through the Market and Coastal Towns
programme (MCTi).
Economy
1.10 Coastal towns have a unique commercial
history from port and fishing activities. Due to global factors,
these mainstay industries have been in decline, and there has
been a distinct lack of replacement industry. The fishing industry
is likely to continue to decline, due to dwindling fish stocks
and also a lack of infrastructure, training, and difficulty competing
with the strong fishing culture in other European countries. It
will, however, retain a small workforce and 22 of the settlements
within the County of Devon have an interest, to varying degrees,
in the fishing industry (see list at Appendix 2).
1.11 Coastal towns are now heavily dependent
for employment on tourism which has typically resulted in seasonal,
low paid work. Due to the lack of well-paid employment opportunities,
particularly for graduates and others in their 20s and 30s, incomes
of people of working age are generally low—a characteristic
largely of the traditional tourism and agricultural sectors. Income
from earnings in Devon is below the England average, and this
problem is particularly acute in Torridge and North Devon districts
(both of which have coastal communities). For example, the median
gross annual pay in England in 2005 was £23,313 but in Torridge
district, it was only £16,672 (Source: ASHE). As well as
out-migration of the younger age-groups in search of better pay,
this also leads to coastal towns becoming dormitories for commuters
working in the main commercial centres in the region.
1.12 The reliance on tourism following the
decline of traditional industries (fishing/farming etc.) and the
lack of replacements has made the economy of some coastal areas
vulnerable to nation-wide economic fluctuations and changing holiday
trends. There has been a well-documented move away from the traditional
"bucket and spade" summer holidays, to greater demand
for a higher quality tourism offer and a growing short-breaks
market. Coastal towns have in many cases been slow to adapt to
or grasp these developments. The quality of offer needs to be
raised in many cases and local distinctiveness through the creative
industries, culture, local food etc promoted and marketed.
1.13 The conversion of hotels to flats in
coastal towns is continuing at a rapid rate across the county,
potentially leaving a shortage of accommodation and limiting future
opportunity to expand the range of accommodation on offer. There
is a need to provide a range of accommodation, including hotels,
camping sites, hostels for walkers and cyclists, B&B/guest
house accommodation etc, in order to meet the needs of different
visitors. In many of our coastal communities, a good range of
quality accommodation is lacking, especially, high quality hotels.
District planning officers have expressed they would in some cases
like to resist developer plans for conversion of hotels to flats
but find it very hard to do so, particularly with pressure from
Central Government to increase the concentration of residential
uses in town centres.
1.14 A very few settlements in Devon, such
as Croyde and Salcombe, have recently become increasingly popular
as holiday destinations, but this has had the effect of gentrifying
the areas to such an extent that key workers (lifeboat crew/firefighters/teachers
etc) are priced out of the housing market and either have to live
quite a distance away and commute, or are forced to completely
re-locate putting essential services at risk.
1.15 The heritage and cultural distinctiveness
of coastal towns is their unique selling point, coupled with their
high quality natural environment and the potential for a high
quality of life. The opportunity that coastal towns present for
industry that requires a coastal location needs to be harnessed
and to be more actively promoted. Opportunities include:—
— Mariculture—local food (especially
seafood) etc.
— Marine engineering/biology.
— Renewable energy—especially
re tidal power.
— Watersports, sea angling etc.
— Non-beach tourism—eg bird watching,
coastal walking.
1.16 These fit well with the current priority
sectors of the South West RDA:- marine; leisure and tourism; food
and drink; environmental technologies. With regard to the latter,
the RDA has estimated that around 12,000 new jobs could be created
in the environmental technology sector in the South West. Furthermore,
as the RDA's economic strategy and the developing economic development
and enterprise block of the Devon Local Area Agreement recognise,
the environment is a key economic driver. Devon County Council
sees an opportunity to develop demonstration towns in Devon to
this end.
1.17 It is considered that economic prosperity
of coastal towns can, to an extent, be engendered from within,
with the appropriate support. For example, there is significant
opportunity for self-employment and development of social enterprises
in coastal areas. Furthermore, there is the increasing ease and
take up of home working, with an attractive environment and the
rise of broadband technology as incentives.
Demographics and Housing
1.18 Coastal towns often have skewed demographics
with a lower proportion of young people/people of working age,
and an above average proportion of older (retired) persons (see
Appendix 3a and 3b). Approximately 30% of coastal residents are
over 60, compared to the 20% national average. This creates a
range of issues around accessibility, health, demand for services,
the local economy and community relations. Regarding the latter,
sometimes tensions result from a strong "NIMBY" attitude
from the older generation which can restrict development of opportunities
for the younger members.
1.19 The younger workforce (20-40 age group)
tend to move out to develop their careers, and to get on to the
property ladder, and as such this resource is lost to the community.
Those who move in to the area are often retired and relatively
wealthy. They spend money locally but do not otherwise contribute
economically to the town. This in-migration, together with the
large numbers of second homes, skews the housing market, making
house prices artificially inflated and out of reach of many local
people—especially first time buyers (see Appendix 4). For
example, in some parts of Devon, such as the South Hams, the cost
of an average house can be more than eight times the average salary.
1.20 Rises in house prices have also resulted
from successful regeneration of coastal towns as they become more
sought after (as indicated in 1.13)—therefore intervention
is needed to ensure an on-going supply of affordable housing for
local people in perpetuity. Similarly, expansion of coastal towns
through housing developments, including at harbour/dock locations,
has not been matched by development for industrial or employment
use—this is clearly unsustainable. There is therefore a
need to safeguard appropriate waterfront land for employment-related
uses (see section 1.14 for potential growth industries).
1.21 Other social issues identified in coastal
towns are:
— in-migration of people on benefits
due to a surplus of private rental properties in the winter months
and seasonal jobs in the summer.
— lack of "things to do"
in the winter months—particularly for the younger residents
as well as those out of work—which can lead to anti-social
activities such as drug taking, vandalism etc, which in turn can
become more serious issues like drug and alcohol addiction and
higher level crime.
— increased pressure on health and
social/support services—particularly due to the high proportion
of older people.
— a significant transient population
exists in many coastal towns which can result in less strong community
bonds and cohesion than in other rural market towns.
Environment
1.22 The attractiveness of coastal towns,
in terms of both the natural and built environment, can present
a "double-edged sword" in some respects. A unique and
common thread with coastal towns is that their economy tends to
be based largely around their environmental assets. As Devon County
Council's Maritime Role and Action Programme (See Appendix 5)
states, "Devon's coasts and the visitors they attract remain
one of the key economic assets of the County". People are
undoubtedly attracted to coastal towns, whether as visitors or
to live, by their natural beauty—and probably also by their
relative remoteness.
1.23 It is vitally important, therefore,
to maintain a high quality environment—both for its own
sake and for the economic benefit generated by it. There are significant
opportunities in Devon for increasing the economic benefit of
environmental assets, with world recognised landscapes such as
the Heritage Coast and Biosphere designations, as well as large
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty etc.
1.24 On the other side, high levels of in-migration
place significant development pressure on the environment of coastal
towns, particularly for housing. Development of housing, tourism-related
facilities and new industry all require careful management to
ensure they do not damage the special environment of the towns.
There is a demand from developers, particularly house-builders,
but a lack of developable land due to constraints from both topography
and environmental designations. As such, there is a premium on
developable land, making costs high—both for development
and purchase/rental. This results in a severe shortage of affordable
housing for local people (as discussed under 1.18).
1.25 Another significant environmental issue
is around coastal flood defence measures which it is considered
are likely to become increasingly visually intrusive in order
to protect towns against rising sea levels, as a result of global
warming. Sea defences are likely to require significant investment
and will need to be handled sensitively to take full account of
the fact that the environment is a key economic driver in coastal
towns. Sea defence issues/coastal flooding is a source of concern/uncertainty
in a number of Devon's coastal communities at present, including
Teignmouth/Shaldon, Ilfracombe and Sidmouth. Devon County Council
is concerned at the delay in reviewing shoreline management plans
and would emphasise the importance of good strategic planning
for coastal protection, together with strong local accountability.
1.26 Regarding coastal protection, DCC also
wishes to highlight the importance of planning for the future
of the mainline south coast rail to London which is threatened
by coastal flooding caused by climate change. This is a key rail
link to the far west and plans for alternatives to continue this
in the future, as well as a clear short term strategy, are vital
for the economy and vitality of towns on this line, such as Teignnouth
and Dawlish.
1.28 There is also a widely-held perception
of good quality of life in coastal towns, largely because of the
environment. While this may be true for many residents, the idyllic
environment can also hide, and gloss over, deprivation faced by
others (see "Deprivation" section below).
1.29 It is not just the natural environment
of coastal towns which makes them attractive. They also have significant
built historical and cultural heritage. However, the changes in
the economic fortunes of many coastal towns over a long period
has left many with redundant buildings and a general issue around
under-investment in the built environment. There needs to be funding
available to help property owners to maintain buildings which
have architectural merit and are important to the character/heritage
of an area. There also needs to be imaginative new uses for old
buildings, eg redundant hotels, cinemas etc..
1.30 Investment in the public realm is also
an integral part of the overall package, including street furniture,
public spaces, signage etc. and can help create and signify the
individual character of a town—which can help to attract
visitors, investors etc. Cleanliness in terms of litter and dog
fouling in towns and on beaches is also a problem in some coastal
towns and threatens the tourism offer/attraction of the town for
visitors.
Deprivation
1.31 As indicated by the above sections,
there are many issues affecting quality of life in coastal towns
which can result in deprivation. This is borne out by the fact
that a number of Devon's coastal towns have wards featuring in
the top quartile most deprived in the country, including Ilfracombe,
Bideford, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Westward Ho! and Seaton. The Devon
Strategic Partnership and Devon County Council have recently agreed
a list of priority communities (see Appendix 6) with an identified
need for a concerted effort from the authority and its partners
to tackle the ingrained issues resulting in deprivation and restricted
life chances; six of the 11 settlements in this list are coastal
towns. Their peripheral location, particularly on the northern
coast of Devon, can also result in a feeling of isolation or neglect
by agencies—although to an extent this has helped to engender
a "self help" attitude by the communities themselves.
SECTION 2
Experience of the Effectiveness of Existing Central
Government Initiatives and Policies for Addressing the Social,
Housing and Environmental Problems Coastal Towns Face
2.1 Initiatives to date have mostly been
applicable across any or all towns—or those in specific
geographical parts of the County—and not specific for coastal
communities. This may have inadvertently resulted in other towns
benefiting disproportionately from initiatives, because of the
increased costs of bringing forward developments in coastal towns,
lack of an appropriate skill base, problematic access issues,
and NIMBY attitudes making obtaining planning consent more difficult.
2.2 One of the most significant initiatives
in recent years in the South-West has been the Market and Coastal
Towns initiative (MCTi), led by the RDA. Most MCTi groups have
now reached the stage of producing a community-led plan and are
looking at implementation, whilst struggling with the sustainability
of their group which tends to be largely reliant on volunteer
time. Groups are already starting to fold and plans are starting
to look unrealistic and unachievable which means there is likely
to be a lot of disappointment and disillusionment among the communities.
2.3 The MCTi Initiative raised false hopes
at the start about the level of budget that would be available,
which in reality was considerably less than expected. Devon County
Council is now being approached for funding and support/guidance
from MCTi groups across the County and does not have capacity
or resources to meet all these competing demands. As they move
into the implementation stage, coastal towns are likely to find
it particularly difficult due to their peripheral locations and
the higher development cost in these areas. There needs to be
a significant financial commitment from the Government—channelled
through the RDA—to supporting delivery of the MCTi plans,
which recognises the higher costs in coastal communities.
2.4 Devon has benefited from the Neighbourhood
Management Pathfinder Initiative, and has the only national rural
pilot—in Ilfracombe. This is a coastal town, facing many
of the issues outlined above and experiencing high levels of deprivation.
This initiative is now starting to show some positive progress,
and the potential length of the programme (seven years) is encouraging
for what it may achieve in the future. On this note, it is important
to recognise through regeneration initiatives and funding that
real sustainable regeneration is a long term process that requires
a long term commitment—the underlying issues cannot be resolved
through a series of quick wins over a two or three year period.
2.5 There is a concern that government and
other agencies—at all levels—have failed to recognise
and support the particular needs of coastal towns, many of which
have been in a spiral of decline for some considerable time. A
"one size fits all" approach for all towns is considered
unlikely to address the deeply embedded issues in our coastal
communities described in section 1. There is considerable opportunity
seen for cross-over with the maritime agenda in developing initiatives.
2.6 Devon County Council considers that
the Local Area Agreement is potentially an important tool in targeting
resources to areas in most need and does provide a new opportunity
for coastal towns to receive a more joined up approach from key
agencies which have the capacity to affect quality of life issues
in their area.
SECTION 3
Experience of Effectiveness of ODPM's Co-operation
with Local Authorities
3.1 Devon County Council acknowledges that
in the past it may not have adequately championed the needs of
coastal towns on a county basis in the past, and therefore welcomes
this Inquiry. It also considers that there is a lack of baseline
data and research into the special issues in coastal towns. DCC
would welcome Government funding to undertake research/obtain
baseline data and is trying to identify some funding currently
for commissioning consultants to undertake some work. DCC has
recently co-operated with the ODPM on providing a case study coastal
town (Teignmouth) for the neighbourhood level working research,
and also has the ODPM neighbourhood pathfinder at Ilfracombe from
which learning is beginning to flow across the county—particularly
with regard to innovative ways of bringing improved co-ordination
between all stakeholders in a community.
3.2 Devon has taken positive steps to improve
joint working by holding the inaugural meeting last year of the
Devon Maritime Forum as a mechanism for discussion and generating/testing
ideas. Coastal regeneration formed a topic at the first meeting,
and it is hoped that a temporary officer can be appointed to take
the Maritime Forum forward. This concept has worked well in other
areas such as Dorset and Hampshire and there has also been cross-county
co-operation between Devon and Dorset through the "Gateway
Towns" forum which brings together the towns within the Heritage
("Jurassic") Coast designation in order to maximise
the opportunity that this brings in a managed and sustainable
way. Devon also has a Towns Forum which is supported by DCC and
is proving useful in making links between towns in sharing issues,
experience and good practice.
3.3 Devon County Council would also like
to stress the important role of District Council's in addressing
the issues in coastal towns due to their local knowledge and links.
SECTION 4
View on Case for More Specific Regional Initiatives,
and Whether Enough Attention is Paid to Regional Disparities
4.1 Devon County Council is not pushing
for a specific regional initiative in this case as it is felt
that coastal towns have more in common with other coastal towns
all around the UK and beyond, than perhaps with other towns in
their immediate region. However, there are naturally differences
in the weight of certain issues between areas; for example tourism
is of far greater significance in the south-west's region's economy
in terms of GVA, than it is in the south-east. Flexibility to
apply initiatives to meet local circumstances is therefore important.
However, the overall goal must be to create meaningful, workable
initiatives, regardless of the scale at which they are set/offered.
4.2 There is certainly benefit to be had
in improving networking, learning and sharing of experiences between
coastal communities—including better dissemination and take-up
of LEADER+ ideas (see 5.4 below). This could indeed be a theme
for the new Cohesion Fund, with opportunities to link across the
channel.
4.3 Devon County Council invites the ODPM
to use a Devon Coastal Town as a case study for the research into
the special needs of coastal towns. The suggested town for this
is Ilfracombe which would present an opportunity for the ODPM
to see how the Neighbourhood Management Scheme could work in tandem
with a coastal towns study.
SECTION 5
View of Funding Available (Now and in The Future)
for Regenerating and Supporting Coastal Towns
5.1 Significantly more funding is needed
to compensate for insufficient investment over a long period of
time in the infrastructure of our coastal towns and to drive their
regeneration/sustainability.
5.2 Funding should be particularly directed
at diversifying the skills base and developing affordable homes
and diversified employment opportunities for the workforce—in
order to address some of the key issues set out in Section 1.
Funding is also needed to support a coherent transport policy
for the coastal towns, with major funding necessary for infrastructure
improvements, particularly in more sustainable forms of transport
such as rail and sea.
5.3 It is important to recognise that funding
for regenerating and supporting coastal towns needs to take account
of the greater cost per head of delivering initiatives in these
areas.
5.4 Opportunities exist regarding the future
of EU fisheries funding where the focus is changing from fisheries
to include the families and communities themselves. This is an
opportunity which in Devon can be related to the 22 settlements
with fishing connections (see Appendix 2). It is felt that much
can be learned from the style of the LEADER+ programme/initiatives,
ie grassroots, area-based initiatives that help empower people
on the ground to develop innovative new ways of working to address
local issues. This may be particularly effective in fishing communities
which can often feel quite remote and find it difficult to engage,
or resist engagement, with more "top-down"-style initiatives.
SECTION 6
View of Success of South West RDA and Other Bodies
in Supporting and Developing the Economies of Coastal Towns
6.1 Devon County Council considers that
the RDA has had some success in regenerating coastal towns, particularly
in Cornwall by matching Objective 1 money, but that this has been
patchy across the region. Comparison of Cornwall's GVA against
the national position, before and after Objective 1, shows that
it is still very low, but has shown considerable improvement.
Overall, the Cornwall Economic Model (2005) shows an improvement
from 63.2% of national GVA in 1993 to 72.0 in 2003. Over the same
period, the Devon Economic Model (2005), shows a fairly static
overall position from 78.3% of the national average in 1993, to
77.9% in 2003.
6.2 There are gaps identified in the RDA's
approach. For example, although the RDA states that the maritime
sector is a key sector it has no joined-up maritime strategy for
the region. Secondly, it is felt that there has been inconsistency
in the RDA's approach to the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative
(see section 2 for more on the MCTi Initiative)—which in
its own right can lead to disparity of opportunity between towns
to access support for projects aimed at developing their economies.
7. CONCLUSIONS
7.1 Devon County Council believes there
is a strong case for:
(a) special initiatives for coastal towns
due to the particular needs and issues of these communities; and
(b) recognition in design of initiatives/policies
to benefit all towns (coastal and market) of the special circumstances
of coastal towns, in order to create a level playing field. There
needs to be particular accommodation for the higher costs per
head of delivery in coastal towns.
7.2 DCC would be keen to co-operate with
the ODPM in developing and piloting such initiatives.
7.3 The issues of coastal communities are
deeply inter-related and as such, there is a need for an integrated,
focused response—relating to the skills base, affordable
and key worker housing, environmental enhancement, and so on.
Initiatives need to tackle the social, economic and environmental
issues together. With regard to the particular opportunity of
the "environment as an economic driver", the Authority
believes that the South West RDA could identify demonstration
coastal towns in Devon.
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