Updating the CCA Coastal Regeneration in English Resorts book

7th October 2011

The CCA’s “Coastal Regeneration in English Resorts” was produced in 2009 and while most of the chapters are still relevant, for example those on enterprise, ageing, health, heritage regeneration, health and priorities, the chapters on structures, capacities and funding are dated having been superseded by new national structures at a time of greatly reduced public finances. These dated chapters will be replaced with your cooperation and published on the CCA website early next year.

The book was born of a desire by the CCA to extend the national debate on how to address the complex social and economic problems of English coastal resorts and to create a resource for all those concerned with the well-being of England’s seaside resorts.

The book will still seek new approaches to coastal resort regeneration in England because despite the decades of national economic growth (pre-crunch) that did not reach the coast, there are compelling reasons for new thinking on coastal regeneration and how it can be achieved. Is the new ‘localism’ the solution? Should Gross Domestic Happiness, rather than the elusive GDP, be the goal? What do you think?

Big Bang or a hundred small things better?

Much of the energy, funding and public face of regeneration is focused upon the large scale, the “iconic”, the transformational.  Yet there are only so many totemic projects, conference centres, angels, greenhouses, celebrity chefs and rich paternalists to go round. The less public faces of regeneration are the hundreds of small things that are done well by public and private bodies involved is some aspect of resort development. These include providing quality services, developing existing assets, maximising available skills and resources, engaging communities, promoting local pride, and lifting ambition in small corners. This form of practical and local regeneration is probable more relevant for seaside resorts given their leisure product, popularity, small size and peripheral location.

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