Latest news with #CoastalCommunitiesFund
Daily Record
29-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Worries over pause on applications to South Ayrshire Coastal Communities Fund
South Ayrshire Council has agreed to pause applications to the £140k fund, instead directly supporting projects that have already been deemed suitable A councillor has expressed his concerns that coastal community grants will be paused in favour of direct funding for a year. Officials presented proposals to South Ayrshire Council's Cabinet on Wednesday, outlining a change to how it distributes Coastal Communities Funding in the coming year. This year it will get more than £140,000 from the Scottish Crown Estate's marine asset revenues that forms part of the national Coastal Communities Fund. Local authorities are expected to use this funding to support areas with strong links to the coastal economy, including seaside towns and ports. In previous years, the council has opened the fund up to applications. However, the report asked for approval to forego the usual application process, instead directly investing the money in projects that had already been identified as priorities. This would include support for the Community Empowerment Fund and initiatives under the Destination South Ayrshire tourism programme. It would still set aside £20,000 for a reduced grant process for projects up to the value of £1,000. The report stated that the move would streamline funding and focus on delivering benefits such as boosting coastal business productivity, tackling seasonal tourism patterns, improving public spaces, and supporting regeneration efforts that respond to challenges like erosion or flooding. Prestwick Councillor Hugh Hunter agreed to back the report, but had significant reservations about the situation. He said: 'I'd be happy to second it, but, eh, I have a number of reservations. 'I believe the compromise with the £20,000 is acceptable, but frankly I'm really concerned at the fact that this money, which in the past would have gone out for applications to the community, is now being used to meet shortfalls elsewhere. 'And it does beg the question, what are these projects that require this extra funding and does that mean that they're running over budget or does it mean that the funding that was granted or applied for initially was insufficient? 'I just think there's a great big hole here in the information we have. 'I'm concerned why are we in this position where we need to come and take money from coastal communities to meet shortfalls elsewhere.' Assistant Director of Communities, George Hunter, replied: 'I'm not sure that the way I'd describe it is that it's meeting shortfalls elsewhere. 'We have prescribed budgets that we put out over the web and, through our social media channels, to attract applications for things like the Community Empowerment Fund and Destination South Ayrshire Tourism Grants. 'The demand for Destination South Ayrshire Tourism Grants, for example, significantly outstrips available resource, so the general intention behind the Coastal Communities Fund and those wider grants that we support a whole range of events and community initiatives. 'It just makes sense to me, in terms of managing expectation, that those applications which have been considered and which meet the core objectives are the ones that we then take forward into funding and delivery.' He insisted that the projects that would receive support would meet the same criteria that community applications would require. Cllr Hunter then suggested that it appeared that this move was putting funding from various pots into 'a great big fund'. He said: 'I'm not sure that that's what the individual grant funding bodies would approve of.' Cllr Hunter did acknowledge that the direct funding would only be for one year. He added: 'I'll go along with it. But I don't like it. ' The Assistant Director responded: 'It's about managing expectation and funding those projects that we've already reviewed through our panel process and and have a good fit with coastal communities. Depute Leader, Cllr Alec Clark, told the meeting that he shared some of the concerns raised and asked whether there was any monitoring of results from previous applications and the benefits they brought. He said: 'I'll support the paper, but I do realise that within communities there are some concerns.' The report was approved by the Cabinet.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
In pictures: New £1.5million south Essex seafront pavilion taking shape
WORK is progressing well on a new beach pavilion at Canvey's Thorney Bay ahead of a scheduled spring opening. The seafront pavilion and café was initially set to be completed this month, but images show steady progress on the major addition to Canvey's seafront. Bold - The pavilion will offer new facilities to beach users on Canvey (Image: Richard Windell) Designed to house a new café the £1.5 million Thorney Bay pavilion is also set to feature public toilets, a foot wash for beach users, and a car park extension. We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone. A spokesperson for Castle Point Council has previously said that while they cannot disclose details on the future operator of the café, they have seen 'a good level of interest'. Progress - The building is clad in wood with large sea-facing windows (Image: Richard Windell) The new pavilion and its associated facilities were funded through a grant from the national government's Coastal Communities Fund. This project is part of the wider regeneration plans for Canvey seafront and, alongside improvements to the sea defences, should offer an impressive visitor experience for both residents and tourists. Impressive - The pavilion incorporates a modern and eye-catching design (Image: Richard Windell) The construction project has been hit by a number of delays and false-starts since it was first announced in 2016 but finally got underway in March of last year. Photos of the pavilion show a wood-clad structure with large sea-facing windows and plenty of outdoor space. Works - The major new addition to the seafront will surely be welcomed by residents (Image: Richard Windell) The project is being led by top Colchester-based property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood who is providing full planning, design, project management, and contract administration.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Milestone reached in water activity centre build
The construction of a water activity centre has reached a long-awaited milestone. The building phase of the Edge in Whitehaven, Cumbria, has been completed, with the fitting out of the interiors due to start imminently. The £4.7m project, funded by Sellafield and the Coastal Communities Fund, was due to open in 2022, but the Covid-19 pandemic and challenges with the build significantly delayed the opening date, now planned for the summer. Deanne Shallcross, CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners (WHC) which is behind the project, said it "felt so amazing" to finally walk inside the building but there was still work to do. The Edge, built in front of the Golden Sands beach, is set to provide water sports facilities, a cafe, new slipway and accommodation for visitors exploring the area and cyclists tackling the Coast to Coast (C2C) route. Those behind the plans said they hoped it would attract about 10,000 visitors per year. Mrs Shallcross said there would be a "big push" for the work to be completed by the start of the school summer holidays. "We're really keen to take the next steps, there's a huge amount of work ahead still," she said. The three-storey building was designed to look like the sandstone pebbles that wash up during high seas in Whitehaven. Plans include using the building as a venue for community events and activities. Mrs Shallcross added: "The building is amazingly full of potential, but while the shell is complete, the inside is still fairly empty at the moment. "But it won't be long before it becomes a hive of activity." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. New water activity centre 'to open by summer' Coastal activity centre progress 'so exciting'
BBC News
19-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Milestone reached in Whitehaven The Edge water activity centre
The construction of a water activity centre has reached a long-awaited building phase of the Edge in Whitehaven, Cumbria, has been completed, with the fitting out of the interiors due to start £4.7m project, funded by Sellafield and the Coastal Communities Fund, was due to open in 2022, but the Covid-19 pandemic and challenges with the build significantly delayed the opening date, now planned for the Shallcross, CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners (WHC) which is behind the project, said it "felt so amazing" to finally walk inside the building but there was still work to do. The Edge, built in front of the Golden Sands beach, is set to provide water sports facilities, a cafe, new slipway and accommodation for visitors exploring the area and cyclists tackling the Coast to Coast (C2C) behind the plans said they hoped it would attract about 10,000 visitors per year. Mrs Shallcross said there would be a "big push" for the work to be completed by the start of the school summer holidays."We're really keen to take the next steps, there's a huge amount of work ahead still," she said. The three-storey building was designed to look like the sandstone pebbles that wash up during high seas in include using the building as a venue for community events and activities. Mrs Shallcross added: "The building is amazingly full of potential, but while the shell is complete, the inside is still fairly empty at the moment."But it won't be long before it becomes a hive of activity." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Whitehaven's new water activity centre The Edge 'to open by summer'
A water activity centre which was due to open three years ago will be ready by the summer, it has been Edge in Whitehaven, Cumbria, was expected to open in summer 2022 but it has faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and challenges during the working on the project said the outer shell of the activity centre had been completed and work inside was due to start Shallcross, CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, which is behind the activity centre, said: "The outer shell, people will have seen, looks virtually complete now - it's an incredibly iconic building." The multimillion-pound project, funded by Sellafield Ltd and the Coastal Communities Fund, is set to provide watersports facilities, a new slipway and accommodation for visitors exploring the coastline and cyclists tackling the C2C is hoped it will attract about 10,000 visitors annually. Mrs Shallcross said work inside the building was expected to last about four months and she was excited for the activity centre to was announced in March 2020 but a series of issues delayed the project several said problems included electricity providers having to do extra work to connect the site, as well as challenges with the specialist cladding covering the structure."Once the issues were overcome, it flew," she said, adding: "Each of them alone, it's not unusual for a big construction."We've got to be due some luck." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
