Southport Beach

[said]

Southport Beach has been ignored for far too long. It is now thick with lethal mud and encroaching grass. It stinks, it is filthy! If you watched children in the summer attempting to build a sand castle - they were putting dollops of black filthy slime in their buckets.

Without our beach - Southport is nothing! Yet a well cared for clean sea front would be rewarded with thousands of visitors and holiday makers. An investment now would be amply rewarded.

Many years ago - a seaside resort in Essex underwent a similar decline to that of Southport now. The council of that town, foresaw the town as a commuter area only, that would serve the City of London. The beaches were filthy, cheap corrugated sea front shops began to rust and look unsightly, people lost a pride in the town and it became dirty, full of litter and a centre for all types of crime. But visitors coming into London wanted to see a sea side resort, the kind that Britain is famous for. Eventually the penny dropped and the council began looking for sponsors and investors for the town. Just a couple of years later - that town was thriving. You would be hard pressed to find a parking place at any time of the day at any price. The whole town kept its traditional facades, cleaned up the beaches, dismantled the ramshackle sea front shops and built clean, classic buildings instead. It is a really beautiful area to visit.

Southport could do the same. Although there have been alterations to the depth of the Mersey, causing stronger tides to our beach - there could be tons of sand compacted onto the sea front with some rocks strategically placed to with stand the strongest waves and to form pools. By investing in our beach it would bring huge benefits - filling the empty shops, and creating more jobs in the area.

[grassroots]

Southport Beach has been ignored for far too long. It is now thick with lethal mud and encroaching grass. It stinks, it is filthy! If you watched children in the summer attempting to build a sand castle - they were putting dollops of black filthy slime in their buckets.

Without our beach - Southport is nothing! Yet a well cared for clean sea front would be rewarded with thousands of visitors and holiday makers. An investment now would be amply rewarded.

Many years ago - a seaside resort in Essex underwent a similar decline to that of Southport now. The council of that town, foresaw the town as a commuter area only, that would serve the City of London. The beaches were filthy, cheap corrugated sea front shops began to rust and look unsightly, people lost a pride in the town and it became dirty, full of litter and a centre for all types of crime. But visitors coming into London wanted to see a sea side resort, the kind that Britain is famous for. Eventually the penny dropped and the council began looking for sponsors and investors for the town. Just a couple of years later - that town was thriving. You would be hard pressed to find a parking place at any time of the day at any price. The whole town kept its traditional facades, cleaned up the beaches, dismantled the ramshackle sea front shops and built clean, classic buildings instead. It is a really beautiful area to visit.

Southport could do the same. Although there have been alterations to the depth of the Mersey, causing stronger tides to our beach - there could be tons of sand compacted onto the sea front with some rocks strategically placed to with stand the strongest waves and to form pools. By investing in our beach it would bring huge benefits - filling the empty shops, and creating more jobs in the area.

Pray tell what the beach has to do with business in the town .

[Toodles McGinty]

Pray tell what the beach has to do with business in the town .

I reckon that's part of the problem, it feels like the beach has nothing to do with anything, really. North of the pier is a mess. A real mess. Little apart from mud and grass. Bit of car parking for the evening drivers with certain predilections that end, but not much else after the pub.

South of the pier is better as far as the sand is concerned. On a few hot weekends in the summer it's packed. But it's kind of like Ocean Plaza would prefer not to be associated with the beach, thank you very much. Just the back of it with solitary toilet facilities and little else. Not an open vista of the sea, integrating the sea front with the shops. More like you'd expect a back alley where there's actually a beach.

I'm not explaining myself well, I know. Just that our beach isn't a bucket and spade type of place with little cafes and shops where you can grab some ice creams and a pot of tea for granny. Despite the fact there's an entire 'plaza' of eateries. I suppose it's a vicious circle of not having enough visitors to support traditional sea front facilities, so there are no traditional sea front facilities to attract more visitors. A beach side cafe. Improved toilet facilities. Better access to the beach for wheelchair users, etc.

They do come up with grand plans now and again, but little ever happens. Maybe it's the distance. Seems to be the beach has little to do with the town, and vice versa.

[Alikado]

If you want a thriving bustling Seafront just build one a couple of miles out then build another in another 50 or 60 years. The coast at Formby is eroding and North of the Pier is depositing, Time & Tide stand still for no one.

[Kritou]

Nature will have it’s way

[seivad]

The beach is still there, underneath Ocean Plaza.

I've had this old photo in my collection for about 20 years. I can't remember what year it was taken, probably the 60s. It was posted by an old chat mate on the very first Southport chat room on the internet, about 1998 I think.

[Alikado]

The beach is still there, underneath Ocean Plaza.

I've had this old photo in my collection for about 20 years. I can't remember what year it was taken, probably the 60s. It was posted by an old chat mate on the very first Southport chat room on the internet, about 1998 I think.

Looks early 60's, the beach is now further out and still just as good.

[said]

Nature will have it’s way

It will - but nature evolves gracefully, in its own time! The changes to Southport beach have occurred in a relatively short space of time - indicating that the changes have more to do with man's interference than nature.

I was under the impression that we did have a committee who managed the coastlines in the North West. But the changes to our beach have occurred after the Mersey was made deeper and the dredging in the Ribble was halted. There was some natural growing marram grass and some that was planted to anchor the sand dunes - but this has now taken over.

[Alikado]

It will - but nature evolves gracefully, in its own time! The changes to Southport beach have occurred in a relatively short space of time - indicating that the changes have more to do with man's interference than nature.

I was under the impression that we did have a committee who managed the coastlines in the North West. But the changes to our beach have occurred after the Mersey was made deeper and the dredging in the Ribble was halted. There was some natural growing marram grass and some that was planted to anchor the sand dunes - but this has now taken over.

It hasn't occurred that quickly, 100 years ago or so The Promanade was The Promanade, the sea came right up to the railings of the Northern part of the Marine Lake, The bank that runs at the back of Stanley High School was at one time part of the sea defences, The Fog Bell on Marshside Rd was on the beach as were a number of the Cottages and there was a Dock in Churchtown village.
The Council for a number of years tried to stem the march of the marshes by raking the shore between tides.

[crocodile35]

Today along with my good lady we took the train to Freshfield and walked back along the beach to Ainsdale. Awesome sandy beach ,tide was in, so sea on one side sandunes on the other. Very few people once you'd left the pine woods area, it was a lovely walk.Our beach will not get any better,nature will take care of that but could we not promote the wonderful three mile long stretch of Beach a short distance away. Some sort of transport could take people along the sand with various stops along the way. This could surely help Southport if people could stay here and enjoy what the town has to offer along with the option of a superb long vast sandy beach a short ride away.

[justbecause]

Pray tell what the beach has to do with business in the town .

I’ve got to say, that thought crossed my mind as well.

[whiplash]

Loads of coal on the beach this week.

[said]

Looks early 60's, the beach is now further out and still just as good.

Ha!Ha! When was the last time you walked out on the beach? I have been out several times in recent years - with wellington boots on - like most people - because of the mud. In fact nearly lost my wellie on one occasion as it got stuck in quicksand. You have to pick the path that you need to take - otherwise you find yourself in trouble. In several places it is a matter of jumping from one clod of grass to the next to avoid the yuk! In May of this year, some visitors came down to the beach - they walked out parallel to the pier. To miss the mud, they only had a path about a metre wide to walk along. Even then their feet were covered.

The beach is indeed moving further out - there used to be a deep channel at the end of the pier, which has now disappeared - it was thick mud there, but now it is becoming sandy. Why do you think there are no longer many cars parked on the beach now if it is as good as you say it is?

North of the pier is no-mans land!

All I am saying is that the beach is the biggest attraction for Southport. According to the Liverpool University, who carried out a survey of North West Coasts - Sefton does not manage the beach as well as it should. Sefton does not engage with partners on the management of the beach, nor has it made any plans of priority needs for it. It is a tourist attraction - this needs to be addressed and the beach needs attention to bring visitors into town.

[seivad]

Ha!Ha! When was the last time you walked out on the beach? I have been out several times in recent years - with wellington boots on - like most people - because of the mud. In fact nearly lost my wellie on one occasion as it got stuck in quicksand. You have to pick the path that you need to take - otherwise you find yourself in trouble. In several places it is a matter of jumping from one clod of grass to the next to avoid the yuk! In May of this year, some visitors came down to the beach - they walked out parallel to the pier. To miss the mud, they only had a path about a metre wide to walk along. Even then their feet were covered.

The beach is indeed moving further out - there used to be a deep channel at the end of the pier, which has now disappeared - it was thick mud there, but now it is becoming sandy. Why do you think there are no longer many cars parked on the beach now if it is as good as you say it is?

North of the pier is no-mans land!

All I am saying is that the beach is the biggest attraction for Southport. According to the Liverpool University, who carried out a survey of North West Coasts - Sefton does not manage the beach as well as it should. Sefton does not engage with partners on the management of the beach, nor has it made any plans of priority needs for it. It is a tourist attraction - this needs to be addressed and the beach needs attention to bring visitors into town.

"The presence of muddy fine sediment along the foreshore to the north of the Pieris evidently not a recent occurrence. Fowler (1910) reported it was almostimpossible to walk to the Bog Hole Channel eastward of the Pier due to muddypatches with intermittent sand patches, with the whole of that area below the 9feet (2.7 m) contour being in a “stagnant condition of wet sand and mud”. Fowlersummarises the condition of the foreshore by saying:“The contrast between the muddy beach above the Pier and the hard cleanBeach extending from the Pier to Formby and down to spring low watercontour is very marked.” [Fowler, Report to the Chairman and Members ofthe Improvement and Parks Committee, Southport, 1910."

Taken from : http://www.heskethbank.com/history/e...ary_part_4.pdf

You might find the above an interesting read, Said.

[Toodles McGinty]

Southport could do the same. Although there have been alterations to the depth of the Mersey, causing stronger tides to our beach - there could be tons of sand compacted onto the sea front with some rocks strategically placed to with stand the strongest waves and to form pools. By investing in our beach it would bring huge benefits - filling the empty shops, and creating more jobs in the area.

I like the idea of adding rocks there. It is pretty featureless, really. It should be part of every kid's experience: mucking around in rock pools.

But wouldn't you have to add an awful lot of rocks to build that kind of feature? I imagine it'd be a bit like King Cnut trying to hold back the tides. Nice thought though.

It hasn't occurred that quickly, 100 years ago or so The Promanade was The Promanade, the sea came right up to the railings of the Northern part of the Marine Lake,

Part of me is quite sorry the beach isn't a couple of dozen yards away from where I live any more. Then again, with high tides and storms, I don't fancy waves bashing the road outside, either. Or worse.