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Survey: Seaside towns are run-down

13/10/2007

A survey into people's opinions about the importance of seaside towns has found that a majority of people feel they are in a poor condition.

The poll conducted by English Heritage, an organisation that promotes Britain's historical environment, also revealed that most of those interviewed thought coastal resorts were "at the centre of our national identity".

The survey, in which 1,003 people were asked for their views, found that over 75 per cent of people believed that the present state of seaside getaways was shabby.

Similarly, two thirds of respondents said that the resorts had cultural importance which was why the government needed to invest in preserving these sites.

English Heritage chief executive Simon Thurley said: "Investing in the historic core of seaside towns is the essential first step in revitalising communities and giving residents a home with a soul.

"From fishing alleys to Victorian boulevards, from old docks and harbours to historic spas, we have lots of evidence to show that people and businesses flourish in places where local character and distinctiveness are being revived, often through physical renewal and reuse of historic buildings."

English Heritage, which has published reports over how heritage can be used to regenerate towns, has spoken of 15 towns which have been regenerated while maintaining their historic nature.

The towns, including some that have been paired with neighbouring resorts, were Margate, Whitstable, Hastings, Folkestone, Whitehaven, Morecambe, St Anne's On Sea, Seaham and Hartlepool, Whitby and Scarborough, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Southend-on-Sea, Weymouth, Falmouth, and Hayle.

The survey has been published ahead of a conference on England's seaside resorts which will be held in Sussex next week.