Climate change and the coast

There is a glossy magazine called "Coast" which celebrates all things seaside. In its editorial this month they talk about how global warming will mean that many more tourists will choose to holiday in the UK as the Mediterranean gets too hot for them. They go on to say:

"The tourist industry will flourish, our seaside towns be regenerated and we can holiday closer to home. Mind you, we would have to share our favourite bits of coastline with millions more tourists - and beside the problem of finding a towel's worth space on the beach, will there be the infrastructure to cope with this massive influx? Well, no, is the answer. Many more hotels and restaurants would have to be built and, given the decidedly dodgy planning decisions that seem prevalent in any of our seaside towns, imagine the outcome as our traditional and quirky seafront buildings are bulldozed to cram in hundreds of soulless high rise apartment blocks..."

But, of course, the tourist industry will NOT flourish in Seaton where the one bit of land we might use to capitalise on our natural coastline (see below) will be covered with the "soulless high rise apartment blocks" are already being planned. Did you know that some of these blocks will be five storeys high - and in fact that means six because the land is already being raised 2-3 metres which is the enquivalent to one storey.

So, what have we got to look forward to? A clone estate (described by someone who commented on Town Design as "Barrattville on Sea") on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast - where visitors can't come because there will be no-where for them to stay (unless, of course you count the as yet non-existent 30-40 bed hotel which has yet to make an appearance on another part of the site). Of course, the tourists could take over the soulless blocks as holiday apartments and then we will then get the sort of tourists that Benidorm is now trying to evict.

We could have made this such a fantastic place and what do we get - 600 - 700 (yes, 600 - 700 in the whole development - and possibly more) bog standard houses and flats, a supermarket and a DIY store. And we know how things can change when outline planning has been agreed. Somehow there is always more room for extra homes, extra shops, extra tarmac for parking spaces. Oh, and I keep forgetting, a tiny Visitor's Centre where you park in the supermarket car park to visit as long as you don't stay more than 3 hours and a Wetlands Centre where the deposit for the acres and acres of extra land that EDDC has decided to buy (so that visiting tourists can stay "in the area" - and we all know what that means) has been paid for by the people of Seaton through a Section 106 agreement.

Thanks EDDC and Liatris. Could you see this happening in central Sidmouth or Budleigh Salterton!