Member Article

£36m Whitley Bay Seafront Master Plan given green light

The Whitley Bay Seafront Master Plan, the vision for the regeneration of the iconic Spanish City site and adjacent seafront, has been given the go-ahead by North Tyneside Council’s Cabinet.

Elected Mayor, Norma Redfearn welcomed the decision that will deliver an investment plan of over £36 million as “very close to the hearts of most people, not just in Whitley Bay, but also in the wider borough.”

“These are the plans the majority of people are happy with and just want us to get on with it,” she told the Cabinet.

And she pledged to turn around the views of the minority of dissenters saying “a different Whitley Bay can also be better.”

The plan, which will directly contribute to ensuring North Tyneside is a great place to live, work and visit, has been showcased to the public over the last four months, including during a two-day event in the town, on the council’s website, and in public buildings across the borough to ensure as many people as possible could view the proposals.

The event attracted 558 people and the information on the website attracted over 1,500 hits, with many more viewing the displays in the Customer Service Centres across the borough. The resulting feedback has been largely very positive.

Mrs Redfearn added: ““We cannot delay any longer and must take this forward, within the funding available and the timescales set. The total investment is over £36million, made up of grant funding, public and private sector funding.

“We will get on and deliver this project just as the majority of people want us to do and will deliver a coastline that we can all be very proud of.”

Just because it’s a different Whitley Bay it can also be better. As I drive along the seafront and see the Highpoint down, the Avenue nearly down, and the Boardwalk down and know there are exciting alternative plans in place, including for the Lower Promenade I am confident that in a couple of years time, when people can see the changes, they will be very proud.“

The plan is the blueprint for the council and its partners to deliver a programme of regeneration along the Whitley Bay coastal zone, from the Southern Lower promenade to St Mary’s Lighthouse.

The Master Plan was developed in response to previous feedback from the public through a range of opportunities over a number of years.

It will involve a mix of schemes set to be funded by North Tyneside Council and its partners as well as plans put forward by private developers - all aimed at making the area even more attractive to visitors, residents and businesses.