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ProjectsBackground to the Quality of Coastal Towns ProjectThe Quality of Coastal Towns (QCT) project was developed by the Province of North Holland in association with the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC). The project leaders formed a European partnership with similar coastal towns, adding value to the project and allowing them to source funds from the Interreg IIc funding stream. The overall project was approved in December 1999 with a total budget of some 2 million euros. The project ran until April 2001. European Partnership The European partnership includes the Dutch coastal municipality of Bergen, Egmond and Schoorl, the Belgium resort area of Koksijde, Oostduinkerke and Sint-Idesbald, the North Holland Dune Reserve and, in the UK, the coastal resort town of Newcastle, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Wight and Merseyside. Merseyside Partnership The Merseyside partnership is led by Sefton Council in close cooperation with the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Partners include the Sefton Coast Partnership, Dee Estuary Strategy, English Nature, Merseytravel and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The total value of the Merseyside project was £200,000. Work Themes The overall aims of the QCT project are to: Strengthen the individual character of resorts
Exploit the contrast between open spaces and busy seaside towns The European partnership agreed to work with three key themes:
Sustainable Tourism and Spatial Planning Mersey Estuary International Outputs The project has been a great success in terms of cooperation between the various project partners and the lessons learned from each other. The project also has more formal outputs with the following publications available: International Review: Identifies shared problems when planning the development of sustainable tourism in coastal towns. Suggests possible solutions and offers some examples of best practise. Covers the three main project themes. Guide of Practice: A more in-depth report focusing on examples of best practise from around Northern Europe. Final Report: A review of the QCT project including the experiences and lessons learned by the partners. Merseyside Outputs The Merseyside outputs have helped to raise awareness of the importance of the coastal area for nature conservation, tourism and economic regeneration. Work theme 1: Sustainable Tourism and Spatial Planning Review of Tourism Plans: The Merseyside project team reviewed local, regional and national tourism plans on behalf of the project partners and produced a report summarising the main findings, including a check-list of key issues to be considered when producing a tourism strategy. Visitor Research: A comprehensive visitor research programme along the Merseyside Coast has involved over 9000 people and covered a number of areas such as reasons why people visit the coast, views on visitor facilities, conflicts with other users and attitudes to public transport. The following reports are available: Summary report of all research, Site specific visitor profiles, Use & attitude surveys -Sefton residents, Wirral residents, Sefton on-site interviews, Birdwatching events, caravan survey, Summary of research methodologies and lessons learned. Work Theme 2: Cultural and Recreational Facilities Assessment of Coastal Visitor Facilities: WS Atkins, Countrywise and Geoff Broom Associates were commissioned to assess visitor facilities along the coast from RSPB Marshside to Point of Ayr. Their report provides a framework to guide investment in the infrastructure and management of coastal visitor facilities. Using local visitor research plus national data they estimated that “the overall demand for leisure use of the Merseyside coast is around 4.5 million visits. Expenditure associated with these visits is estimated at some £63 million per year.” The report has suggested a hierarchy of coastal visitor sites ranging from the busier 'urban' sites where regional coastal visitor information should be available (eg. Albert Dock); 'gateway' sites, popular coastal sites offering opportunities for informal recreation (eg.Thurstaston visitor centre) and 'local' sites, more specialist sites often with high nature value, where low-key development should take place (eg. RSPB Marshside).The report concludes with a delivery plan for the Merseyside coast, outlining a programme of investment in the order of £4.5 million. Work Theme 3: Transport and Mobility Transport Survey: Over 800 people were interviewed on their attitudes to public transport with questions designed to determine why the car remains the dominant form of transport and what changes would encourage increased use of trains and buses. The survey also asked cyclists and walkers what changes to the coastal product they would like to see. Cycle Parking: The project funded additional cycle parks at various locations along the Sefton coast to encourage more sustainable forms of transport. Next Steps The European partnership are developing a funding proposal under Interreg IIIb. The project will focus on four themes: access (including sustainable transport), cultural heritage, visitor facilities and GIS/internet. Locally, partners are discussing the possibilities of matching Interreg funds with lottery and/or private sector funds to support a larger project. The local partnership is also participating in regional discussions regarding the possible creation of a Merseyside regional park. Click here for a list of downloadable project outputs
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