Seaside towns need to think "out of the box"

There was a big meeting in Blackpool last week to talk about the regeneration of seaside towns, held by the British Urban Regeneration Assocation.

They say that British seaside towns are trrning to creative industries as a blueprint for survival to take them beyond the traditional funfair and bucket and spade exerpience. This calls for an injection of funds from the arts and culture. Peter Spence of the South Coast Design Forum said "seaside towns have to think outside the box instead of building a bigger funfair and a bigger place selling ice cream".

Mhora Samuel, director of the Theatres Trust said, "Seaside towns need to create a distinctiveness and diversify economic activity". She said the Weymouth Pavilion, Morcambe's Winter Gardens and the regeneration of Margate's Theatre Royal were exampled of what could be done.

BURA did a poll asking if seaside towns need special attention when regeneration is involved. 82% of respondents agreed with this, 12% disagreed and 6% were not sure.

Well, I guess, as Liatris once said, our reinvention is "shopping as leisure" (that's how they described it). Bit odd for a seaside town when we have something better to offer - and no culture or arts there!