Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities
The future of seaside towns

Report of Session 2017-19 - published 4 April 2019 - HL Paper 320

Contents

Summary

Figure 1: Seaside towns possess unique assets, such as Eastbourne’s pier, which can be central to their regeneration

Chapter 1: A vision for seaside towns

The British seaside

Our vision

Box 1: Seaminster: a vision for how seaside regeneration should work

New Brighton – a regeneration model?

Chapter 2: Background and approach

Coastal communities: A unique set of challenges

Figure 2: Jaywick faces various challenges related to poverty, health, and infrastructure

Opportunities for regeneration

Figure 3: Dreamland in Margate is an example of a successful council-led regeneration initiative

Previous government intervention on seaside towns

Our work

Chapter 3: The economy of seaside towns

Tourism and the visitor economy

Digital skills&

Public realm

Tourism Sector Deal

Hospitality

Tourism VAT

The wider economy of coastal towns

Box 2: Case study—Brighton and Hove

Diversifying local economies

Creative industries and culture-led regeneration

Figure 4: The Turner Contemporary has been a central part of Margate’s cultural regeneration&#;36

Box 3: Seaside entertainment

Box 4: Culture-led regeneration

Ports

Connectivity

Transport

Figure 5: Coastal towns in rural areas, such as Whitby, often suffer from infrequent rail services

Box 5: Rail connectivity

Digital connectivity

Box 6: Connection

Chapter 4: Education and skills: stimulating an entrepreneurial culture

Educational attainment

Box 7: Teacher recruitment

Box 8: Case Study—Scarborough University Technical College

and Coventry University Scarborough Campus

Box 9: Education in coastal areas

Employment and skills

Box 10: Case study—Employment in Skegness60

Chapter 5: Housing, wellbeing and the built environment

Housing

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Population transience and poorly-managed HMOs

HMOs and housing standards

HMOs and the local housing market

Existing powers for local authorities

Solutions

Box 11: Case study—Blackpool Housing Company

Health and wellbeing

Health outcomes in seaside towns

Health and wellbeing challenges

Box 12: Health in Fleetwood

Staff recruitment and retention

Box 13: The Fleetwood Trust

Coastal erosion and flooding

Challenges

Funding for coastal erosion and flooding

Coastal defences and wider regeneration

Figure 6: Local residents and businesses have contributed to funding Runswick Bay’s coastal defences

Box 14: Case study—Coastal flooding in Skegness

Chapter 6: Support for regeneration—funding and delivery&

Successful regeneration

Leadership

Box 15: Principles for partnership and regeneration

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Government funding

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Coastal Communities Fund

Supporting the regeneration of seaside towns

Box 16: Case study—Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership (PoP)

Coastal communities policy and national initiatives

Box 17: Enterprise Zones

Summary of conclusions and recommendations

Appendix 1: List of members and declarations of interest

Appendix 2: List of witnesses

Appendix 3: Call for evidence

Appendix 4: Acronyms and glossary

Appendix 5: Visit notes

Evidence is published online at https://www.parliament.uk/regenerating-seaside-towns and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020 712 3074).

Q in footnotes refers to a question in oral evidence.





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