Government funding to enhance seaside design
Penzance, Worthing and South Shields are among nine seaside towns to benefit from the latest round of regeneration funding in the Government’s Sea Change initiative.
Interior, graphic, wayfinding and retail design groups will be eyeing opportunities to work on new theatres, cinemas and cultural centres planned for seaside towns and resorts across the UK, including Poole and Bournemouth.
Here in Bournemouth, the Borough Council’s website recently announced that a project to invest £455,000 of the Central Government funding in Boscombe is now underway.
Creative lighting linking Sea Road and Boscombe Precinct, purpose built accessible beach huts, as well as enhanced wheelchair access on the seafront are just a number of projects that have been given the go-ahead.
Councillor Beverley Dunlop, Cabinet Member for Economy & Tourism, said; “We are delighted to have been granted this funding. This programme is essential for widening the benefits of the seafront regeneration into the heart of Boscombe. Our application for the funding demonstrated impressive proposals and the judges were particularly pleased on how we are recapturing creativity which will hopefully inspire other resorts to follow.
“Essentially this project will enhance the appearance of the area, creating a more user friendly and attractive ambience and encourage visitors who come to the beach to also venture up Sea Road and explore Boscombe.”
Over 600 residents have been invited to attend a presentation to find out how they can get involved in this exciting project. Further presentations to local artists, community and business groups are also planned.
“What all the Sea Change projects share is the ambition to get the English seaside holiday back in fashion and for resorts to recapture the flair we know they once had,” says Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment chief executive Richard Simmons. CABE is leading the Sea Change initiative.
“All of the resorts that have been awarded Sea Change funding have shown that they want to use culture and high-quality design to encourage people to not only live and work there, but also to visit,” adds Simmons.
