Pier Restoration and Beach Rejuvenation Neglected by Sefton Council

Disappointment was expressed when Sefton Council refused to review their policy on the beach and the Pier during a debate last night on Southport’s future as a seaside town.

The request was made through a motion submitted at the full Council meeting by Cllr John Pugh , Liberal Democrat opposition leader on Sefton, following rapid deterioration in the condition of the Leisure Beach and the continued closure and mothballing of the Pier.
 
The motion was amended by the Labour leadership to take out ALL reference to the beach.

“It’s terribly disappointing, “ stated Cllr. Pugh, “ as this is a shared problem.”

 "I could accuse the Labour administration of sticking their heads into the sand, but I fear that, unless they act, there won't be any sand to put their heads into.

I totally agree with the Cabinet member for Regeneration who pointed out that many seaside towns face big challenges, but not every seaside town has a beach being allowed to turn into mud, not every seaside town has a closed Pier and not every seaside town has a Council without a clue as to what to do about either.”

The policy of leaving the Pier until the government write us a cheque to cover the whole restoration seems super-optimistic to put it mildly, and the policy of leaving the Leisure beach to degenerate into mud seems simply neglectful. 

I appreciate that Sefton is betting the house on a new £73m Conference and Events Centre and we’ll all be really pleased to see it. Resort towns need to think of new futures. 

But not every visitor from across Merseyside and Lancashire goes to business conferences or can stump up the cash for big events. 

The enduring appeal of beaches and piers is that they afford free, healthy leisure for folk and families and that's why they’re part of the traditional mix in seaside towns. They’re for the people not for the well-healed corporate sector."   

Cllr. Pugh also suggested that the end of the Pier, which is now largely landlocked, could be remodelled during restoration to provide access to the sandier beach around it. Suggestions were also made at the meeting for renewable energy use.

“Being positive about the future does not mean ignoring the problems of the present”, said Cllr.Pugh.