Many seaside towns and coastal communities are in desperate need of improvements to transport, housing and broadband. Better access to further and higher education for young people in seaside towns is needed too.
These are key conclusions of a report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns, The future of seaside towns, published today (4 April).
Huw said “I fully welcome this report. There is no one size fits all model for regenerating coastal towns as each town is very different. Bexhill on Sea has its own unique set of assets and challenges. We therefore need to look carefully at these to decide how we can make our town work for its residents and visitors for generations to come. There is already a lot of great work and regeneration happening in the town including the north Bexhill housing and commercial area development as well as the new link roads and the seafront.
"We now need to focus on the needs of the town centre and the high streets to make it a more attractive place to visit, work and rest. That is why I am working closely with local stakeholders including Rother District Council, East Sussex County Council, Transport for the South East along with the iconic De La Warr Pavilion, arts, business, tourism and voluntary sectors to make our case for improvements in local A roads, rail services and mobile/broadband networks that will incentivise growth. I’m pleased that Rother District Council is looking toward the future in developing a new town centre strategy for Bexhill. I hope that local residents will get fully involved in the consultation process.”
"Tomorrow we have our fourth annual Bexhill Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair at the De La Warr Pavilion. This is a great example of a successful community-led initiative of which I’m very proud to be closely involved. I’m looking forward to meeting the wide range of exhibitors who are taking part and highlighting that Bexhill is full of exciting opportunities and ready for growth.”
https://www.dlwp.com/re-inventing-seaside-towns-a-response/
House of Lords report: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201719/ldselect/ldseaside/320/32002.htm
