A Qualitative & Quantitative

Assessment of Socio-economic and

Environmental Issues and
Opportunities for Coastal
Communities in North West England

Caroline Salthouse
Rob Hindle
James Shorten

Littoral 2010, London

 National Context
• No over-arching policy framework for UK coastal communities
• Responsibility for policy split across many government departments
• BUT – a lot of publicly-funded intervention & investment
• 2003 onwards many national studies, mostly on larger coastal
resorts
• 2005: Government Select Committee Inquiry into
Coastal Towns call for evidence:
» Showed wide variation in size / characteristics with
very different socio-economic profiles
» Highlighted the danger of trying to generalise coastal
towns and their problems
 Regional Research Elsewhere

• Regional studies carried out in the South East and in

the East of England
• Both analysed data at local authority district level
rather than individual communities
• Both found the coastal areas performed less well
economically than the rest of the region particularly
re earnings and skills
 Summary of Findings from Elsewhere

• National and other regions’ research indicates considerable

variation but important commonalities:
» Significant social and economic challenges
» Peripherality made worse by weak transport links
» High levels of private rented housing and housing
in poor condition
» Changing tourism trends
» High seasonal unemployment
» Higher numbers of elderly / young
 The North West Region’s Coast

• Very long coastline stretching from Scotland to Wales (1400km)

• 21 local authority districts, 22 planning authorities
• Over 80% of coast Natural 2000 status
• 2 World Heritage Sites, 2 Areas of Outstanding
Natural Beauty, 1 area of Heritage Coast
• 4 of England’s major ports – and several smaller
ones (10 in total)
• 3 major resort towns – Blackpool, Morecambe,
Southport
• Big towns (City of Liverpool) and small villages
(Ravenglass)
 The Need for New Research
• Recognition by the North West Coastal Forum that while issues for
larger coastal resorts were being addressed by national research
the needs of smaller and non-resort coastal settlements – which
make up the bulk of the coastal communities in North West
England – were being overlooked
• Recognition by the then Regional Planning Body –
4NW – of the need to build an evidence base for
future spatial planning and other policy for
coastal communities at both regional and local level
 Aims of the Research
• Evidence base for future local and regional policy
• Establish a replicable baseline dataset giving a picture of a
representative sample of our coastal communities
• Provide policy-makers with a better understanding
of their needs by demonstrating:
» The socio-economic and environmental value of
those communities to the region
» The issues affecting them
» The opportunities they offer the region
» Examples of value added through intervention
 Research Remit

• Different from other national / regional research in that it:

» Sought analysis of individual settlements rather than a ‘coastal
zone’ or local authority/district area
» Included assessment of social and
environmental as well as economic factors
• Did not seek to make specific policy
recommendations but set out to draw attention to
issues offering insight to policy-makers at regional,
sub-regional and local level
• Funded by 4NW and Defra
 Research Approach
• Steering Group formed from stakeholders across the region and
consultants appointed (Rural Innovation, c4g and Smith’s Gore)
• 47 of the region’s coastal communities selected
on the basis of geographic spread, range of sizes
• Small number of inland comparator settlements
included
• Data gathered at smallest unit feasible – usually
Lower Super Output Area
• 21 datasets used categorised into people, work
and place
 Key Datasets Used
• Demographics
• Household composition
• Internal / Inward / Outward / Net migration
• Vehicle ownership
• Travel to work mode
• Origin-Destination Travel to Work summary / out / in
• Tenure
• Population Estimates 2001-2007
• Household Mean Gross Family Income
• Index of Multiple Deprivation Score
• Monthly Claimant counts and proportions
• Benefit claimants 2007
• Industry of employment
• Average House Prices 2007 and 2008
• 2008 Service Availability - % within 0-2km of outlet
• % Services within x time travelled by public transport, walking or cycling
 Data Issues

• Data geography posed a constant challenge

• Problems isolating some communities from others as they run
together but have distinct characters – e.g. Lytham and St Annes,
New Brighton – worked with local authorities to resolve
• Some communities so small the data is suppressed
e.g. Ravenglass population 334
• Some communities so big they skewed a
‘regional picture’ e.g. Liverpool population 705336
 Developing a Typology

• Data was analysed at 2 levels:

» To see the overall picture of coast for the region
» A more in-depth study of smaller settlements
• Regional picture of limited use due to large variation
• Following initial analysis a ‘typology’ was developed
to describe communities with common characteristics
• These ‘types’ are based on data analysis and
were refined by consultation with stakeholders
at 3 sub-regional workshops
 Typology
• The study classifies coastal communities into 4 types:
» Larger Urban Areas
» Maritime Towns
» Working Towns by the Sea
» Settlements of Choice
• Guidance on policy issues and management is
given for each type
• Results are summarised for each local authority
area in a Local Authority District Summary
 Larger Urban Areas

• Regional or sub-regional centres – all in Merseyside

• Often post-industrial towns, sharing negative socio-economic
characteristics with similar areas inland
• BUT influenced by both coast and by industrial legacy
• Maritime character is important but will not be the only future driver
• Coastal location offers distinctiveness – business opportunities,
connectivity, environmental and quality of life benefits
• Principle issue is to ensure overall regeneration effort takes full
account of coastal assets and opportunities
 Maritime Towns

• Coast influences very strongly

• Defined by functional relationship with the sea – so may be ports,
resorts or both
• Coastal location attracts people and businesses to them still
• Future policy should consider their coastal location as a core issue
and understand the challenges and opportunities it provides
• These settlements are the ‘best fit’ with national research to date
but this category is much broader as it includes ports.
• The research has received criticism for this but it is based on data
analysis which has not yet been done elsewhere
 Working Towns by the Sea

• No dominant economic link with the sea - if there ever was one it
is long gone
• They are not resorts or retirement communities
• They lack harbours, promenades, beaches
• Share similar socio-economic characteristics with inland
settlements such as market towns
• BUT proximity to the sea is still an important part of their character
• Future policy should ensure the benefits of a coastal location is
central to their future
 Settlements of Choice

• Popular, often affluent, communities usually in a high quality coastal

environment – ‘nice place to live’ for retirees, commuters, etc.
• Strong link to the sea, often developed around a harbour or haven; their
location is their greatest asset
• Issues such as long-term vibrancy of population and business, the low
carbon economy (tend to have poor transport links and high levels of
car ownership)
• Likely to slip below the regional policy ‘radar’ as they are small and not
particularly challenged
• Such communities need gentle but positive management to ensure they
remain sustainable in the long-term
 Local Authority District Summary - Sefton

• Description for each community outlining key issues and

opportunities
• Typology with definition and policy considerations
• Summary of factors to allow easy comparison
 Findings 1

• Shared characteristics with other studies:

» In comparison with the regional average:
 Proportion of benefit claimants is higher
 Higher incidence of lone parent households
 Higher incidence of multi-occupancy
households
 Demographic profile is older
 Deprivation is higher
 Incomes are lower
 Findings 2
• Key differences in communities up and down the North West’s
coast
• Many of the communities are very different from the ‘Seaside
Towns’ in national research to date.
• North West coastal communities:
» Are losing rather than gaining population
» Have high levels of social rented housing stock
» Overall employment is higher in public
administration than in the retail and hospitality
(tourism) sectors
 Importance of Studied Coastal Communities to the
Region’s Economy
• The 47 studied communities have around 2 million people – nearly
1/3 of the region’s population
• The visitor economy is still key – in 2007 Blackpool Pleasure Beach
had 5.5 million visitors; Morecambe and Southport 2.5 million each;
Tourist Boards use coastal branding
• They host 1 in 4 of the region’s jobs
• They include:
» important regional and sub-regional centres e.g.
Liverpool, Blackpool, Barrow
» 10 ports providing substantial economic connections
 Application of Results
• Disseminated via regional event and report sent to key regional
and local stakeholders and Government Departments
• Results used to present evidence to the All Party Parliamentary
Group Inquiry into Rural Deprivation & Disadvantage
• Typology used in draft integrated regional strategy
RS2010 (now defunct due to change in government)
- role in ‘Future NW’?
• Local Authority District Summaries useful at local
level for Local Development Frameworks and Core
Strategies (e.g. Wirral and Fylde Borough Councils)
• Influencing NW Coastal Forum work programme
 Further Research
• The research is designed to be replicable at an interval – perhaps
5 or 10 years – allowing assessment of policy interventions
• A key gap identified was analysis of the implications of climate
change for coastal communities because:
» Shoreline Management Plans were being revised
and data was not available at that time
» Coastal Erosion Risk Mapping was due to
be released but was delayed
• The North West Coastal Forum is keen to
commission work to fill this gap
 Applicability Elsewhere
• The research approach is applicable in other areas of Europe
although there may well be differences in:
» Data sets available and data geography
» Typology – it is not suggested that the types developed for NW
England are applicable everywhere; the key is to:
 See what, if any, commonalities arise from the
data analysis
 Involve local stakeholders in discussions
• The importance is to develop a robust and replicable
baseline of evidence to aid and in future assess
coastal policy development and decisions
 Contact
Caroline Salthouse
North West Coastal Forum Secretariat
caroline.salthouse@sefton.gov.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 151 934 2966

www.nwcoastalforum.co.uk