A MUCH-LOVED English beach faces disappearing forever without a huge £57million project.
Blackpool Sands is one of the UK beaches suffering from coastal erosion, which means the destruction of the sand.
Blackpool’s beach is set to have a £57million renovation[/caption]
Blackpool Council’s climate change cabinet member Jane Hugo told the BBC: “If we don’t act now, Blackpool will lose its sandy beaches for good.”
They added that the “shift in sand levels causes the beach line to lower”.
The multi-million protection plans would see 17 rock headlands (large stone walls) be created alongside the beach.
Each measuring 328ft, they would run from the South Pier to North Pier.
These will allow sand to be trapped on the beach, as well as protect the coastline’s current defence systems.
Plans were put forward earlier this year, at a cost of £30million, although this has since increased to £57million.
The project is being backed by the Environment agency, who are also paying for it.
It was previously predicted that works will take around two years, and be completed by 2028.
Hugo also warned that they needed to protect the beach to “secure Blackpool’s future“.
The seaside town is undergoing a huge shift in a bid to become a more popular tourist destination.
This includes a new £300million regeneration of the Golden Mile, with three major indoor attractions.
New restaurants, bars, tram and train stations are part of the plans too.
Last year, the new £13million Showton Blackpool museum opened while the Blackpool’s Winter Gardens is getting a £459,000 upgrade.
And the famous Blackpool Pleasure Beach is getting a new ride too.
Named one of the best seaside theme parks in the world, the £8.7million Aviktas will be the ‘tallest of its kind’ in the UK.
Sadly, Blackpool also isn’t the only place that faces losing its beach.
The village of Barmston in East Riding of Yorkshire has some of the fastest erosion in Europe.
Last year, East Yorkshire saw as much as 12m of coastal erosion, while erosion between Barmston and Fraisthorpe, was up to 5m.
Happisburgh in Norfolk could also one day be gone by 2050, with 250m lost since 1990.
And here is another Victorian seaside town at risk of losing its beach.
What is a family holiday to Blackpool really like?
Mum Catherine Lofthouse went on a family holiday to Blackpool – here’s her thoughts.
This summer, it feels like Blackpool is on the up.
Everywhere I look, there’s building taking place and existing attractions being spruced up.
There’s been investment along the seafront, with Merlin, the company behind Alton Towers and Legoland, recently opening its eighth attraction in the town with the arrival of the Gruffalo Clubhouse for little ones.
And the decision to film an episode of flagship BBC show Strictly Come Dancing at the Tower Ballroom every autumn has put Blackpool back in the public eye.
I’m hard-pressed to think of another UK seaside resort that has quite such a breadth of attractions for staycationers young and old.
In the future my family might be following in the footsteps of generations of Brits making an annual pilgrimage to the bright lights of Blackpool.