Working together to improve the area for Residents & Visitors www.rossallbeach.org.uk North West in Bloom Neighbourhood Award Submission July 2009
Introduction Rossall Beach Residents Association was formed in the summer of 2008 and is close to completing it s first full year. The area of activity covers the stretch of Cleveleys sea front and promenade from Thornton Gate heading North to the Five Bar Gate where road access ends and the promenade continues through to Fleetwood. This is at the northern end of the new and award winning 20m Cleveleys sea defences, and has been neglected in past years. The group formed to create a stronger voice to resolve long standing issues which affect the quality of life for residents, the people of Cleveleys, and visiting tourists alike. Issues include anti-social behaviour, dog fouling, littering, the neglected built environment, neglected public services, beach access etc. We have worked well with local agencies in the past year and have made great strides to resolve some of the issues, and begin to address others. We have many great plans for the future, and while we are working on the environment we are also building a strong community through a programme of social and fundraising events. Rossall Beach Residents Association meets on a formal basis once a month, and twice a year there are open meetings (one of which is the AGM) although anyone who is interested is welcome to come to any of the monthly meetings and take part in the process of making Rossall Beach a better place for everyone. The whole of the group has been involved in the Neighbourhood Award, including Trustees, full and associate members from outside our constitutional area. Our first year has been dedicated to resolving the problems of the past which are mostly concerned with local authority, county council and agencies, and we are currently fund-raising to build reserves for next year and the future when we undertake projects of our own creation. Rossall Beach, when viewed from the wet side! This shows the extent of our range, from the last house at the left where road access ends at the Five Bar Gate and the promenade walkway continues to Fleetwood, through to Durban Court flats at the right, on the corner of Thornton Gate. Our Trustees are: Jane Littlewood, Chair David Hewitt, Secretary Emma Norris, Treasurer Jim Bolton, Neighbourhood Watch Janice Pickup, Fundraising Stephen Pickup Freda Tomlinson Beryl Hancock Tony Greenwood David Yule Val Pounder
Our partners are: Wyre Borough Council Lancashire Police Funding we have applied for and received: 500 from Lancashire County Council Green Partnership Award 250 from B&Q One Planet Living scheme (goods in kind) Our Environment The Trustees and members of Rossall Beach Residents Association have all worked hard in the last year to improve the environment of Rossall Beach. Results have been achieved through petitioning and working with Wyre Borough Council and Lancashire County Council to address problems which should be resolved through Local Authority, and through our own physical efforts in a programme of regular beach cleans. Our beach and promenade had been in quite a neglected state for a long while and already a substantial improvement has been effected. Dog Fouling Rossall Beach Residents Association have petitioned strongly against irresponsible dog owners who persistently refuse to clean up after their dogs. Due to the sea front parking, it is common for dog owners to drive to Rossall Beach to walk their dogs. In bad weather they often let the dogs out of the car onto the beach unsupervised and hence they don t remove their waste. Walkers also head off in front of dogs who then foul out of sight of their owners. Residents have worked with the local authority dog warden to trace owners and request that they change their behaviour, and this has resulted in many owners acting responsibly. We have also had a number of articles in the local press on the subject, making it clear that both residents and the local council are strongly against such irresponsible behaviour and that everyone is welcome to come to Rossall Beach, providing they act responsibly. This is just one reference from local press we have campaigned strongly through local newspapers and magazines to encourage people to clear up after their dogs. A consultation process is taking place, where Wyre Borough Council are considering which Flag quality award to go for on the beaches of Wyre, which may result in a total dog ban on the beaches.
We have posters in the display boxes on the new promenade, and once we receive our own sign boxes will have permanent reminders on Rossall Beach too. (Birse Coastal who are working on the sea defences have kindly agreed to provide permanent sign boxes). The small number of dog bins meant that they were being used as litter bins, they weren t being emptied often enough, and as a consequence they were revolting! Extra, metal bins have been provided which will resist fireworks/matches, and they are being emptied frequently. We have petitioned strongly to Wyre Borough Council about the poor state of many of the dog bins, and the inadequate numbers of them. The foul bins have been replaced, and extra ones have been added in vulnerable spots, hence the beach and walk-ways are much cleaner than they once were. A small number of owners still refuse to clean up and a new campaign will be started to educate them once the results of the Consultation are known. Litter The sea front parking at Rossall Beach draws a constant stream of people all through the day from early in the morning until late at night. The majority of these people sit eating take-away food, with a resulting large amount of litter. A number of bins on the promenade have been damaged and destroyed by traffic they are positioned at the very edge of the pavement where they can be easily knocked by parked cars and vans making them unsuitable for purpose, and we have had a number of accidents where cars have knocked bins out completely. This shows how bad the bins were at the start of the year. We pushed for the worst of the bins to be replaced in the same position in the short term, and this was done early in 2009.
The promenade and road is swept every day by a contract street sweeper, and the beach is cleaned during the summer season, but the large numbers of visitors, and small number of bins coupled with the seafront winds mean that litter blows about on the beach and promenade. The same photo again, but it also shows how much litter collects on the promenade, as well as illustrating how the dog bins were mis-used because of a lack of litter bins. One of the new bins is to be positioned next to this dog bin. We have spent a year petitioning strongly through the police (at PACT meetings) and to the Street Scene department at Wyre Borough Council, and it has just recently been confirmed that: - eight new bins are to be provided in the main parking area, and these are to be more robust for the conditions - they are to be re-positioned next to the sea wall - two of the original bins are to be recycled heading south towards the new promenade - the other two original bins are to be recycled heading north through the Five Bar Gate Also, two sets of recycling bins have already been positioned in the main parking area and have been very well used, which is encouraging as this will reduce the amount of take-away litter which goes to landfill. The litter bin issue has been a long standing problem and we are very pleased to have been able to affect a result through the work of our group. Other work with partners During the last year, Rossall Beach Residents Association have worked with local authority to secure the following works, which are still to be carried out: - Replacement and extra litter bins - The promenade has for many years suffered from buy racers and anti-social driving problems. This group have worked with Councillors and agencies to secure funds through Lancashire Locals for re-routing of the promenade and creation of an outbuild to slow traffic and reduce anti-social driving problems. A large planter is to be positioned on the outbuild to blend in with the new sea-front developments, and will form the basis of moving on to enter next year s Cleveleys in Bloom competition. - Re-surfacing of the pavements from paving slabs to tarmac, on the stretch from the hump in the road to Thornton Gate the most poorly surfaced piece of paving in our area of interest. Works to start on 8 th August 2009. - Increased police efforts to curb anti-social behaviour - A report has been submitted to the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council, along with a number of Directors, presenting a business case and explaining why the poor state of the built environment should be improved, and that Rossall Beach Residents Association will assist where possible in the drawing down of grant funding and provide any support that it can. (Available to view at www.rossallbeach.org.uk)
Getting Our Beach Clean The beach is only cleaned by the local council during the summer season, and resources are of course limited during that time. Consequently, the beach is often in a poor state during the spring and winter months, when the tides and wind are at their worst, and bring the largest amounts of litter to shore. The strand line is often wide and full of manmade litter and plastics, which are damaging to marine and coastal wildlife and the environment. It also attracts dogs, and in turn flies, creating a hazardous and foul smelling morass. We work with Keith Urwin, the Waterfront Ranger at Wyre Borough Council, and he helped us to apply for grant funding for litter pickers, wheelbarrows and gloves. Keith also provides health and safety advice and a truck to take away the refuse collected. We applied for and received: - 250 of goods from the B&Q One Planet Living Scheme - a 500 grant from Lancashire County Council Green Partnership Award The local papers (Gazette and Fleetwood Weekly News) covered the beach clean (above). Our first beach clean was held on Monday 30 March a cool day where well over 30 people turned out to help, including our two local PCSOs, two members of staff from B&Q and a group from Community Payback. Over 70 sacks of rubbish were hauled off the beach, along with 21 sharps and an assortment of broken glass. This is a typical image of how the entire beach looked before we started cleaning it on 30 March. We found that most of the rubbish had come out of the sea like this bucket. Cotton bud stalks and sanitary products were two frequent finds.
This shows a number of volunteers in action some using litter pickers and others collecting larger pieces by hand. The strand line can be clearly seen, quite near to the wall because of the high spring tides. The strand line becomes home to all kinds of problems dog waste, plastic and rubbish, flies etc. At the end of the morning we had collected over 70 sacks of rubbish which filled the back of a truck, and 21 sharps off the beach. People of all ages contributed to the morning, with the majority of them being older people who wouldn t normally go on the beach. We also attracted a number of people to the event who lived in other places, including Poulton and the far reaches of Cleveleys. Two PCSOs (left) and a group of Community Payback volunteers (right, in orange tabards) helped.
The first event was followed up by a second article in the Gazette and Fleetwood Weekly News, in April. Our second beach clean was held on Tuesday 2 nd June, and we found that there was a lot less litter on the beach because regular cleaning by the Council had by now been started, helped by the large amount we moved in March. We still managed to collect about 30 sacks of rubbish and covered the whole area from the Five Bar Gate right up to the Cafe at the edge of the new promenade (which is actually outside our area). We found that at the steps near the cafe there were large numbers of bottles and cans which could have come from the nearby pub and cafe we are intending to monitor this and work with the owners to keep this problem under control. Again, the large majority of rubbish on the beach was found to have come from the sea, although we only found a couple of sharps this time. The council clean the promenade with a street sweeping vehicle which can t get right to the edge of the sea wall, and near to street furniture, so the edges were swept with a hand brush, along with the beach steps and access ramps. This is the Chair, Jane Littlewood, with grit in her sandals! While sweeping on the promenade, a number of people asked questions and commented on what we were doing a number were Cleveleys residents and as many were on holiday from other parts. We spoke to a couple purchasing a nearby house, who were pleased to think that such an active community were working where they were coming to live. Our yellow jackets have the group name on the back and encouraged people to engage with us while we were working.
Some of the residents who contributed to the beach clean (left) and some of the rubbish collected (right) Our third beach clean was held on Monday 20 th July, again in conjunction with the Wyre Borough Council Waterfront Rangers. Representatives from Princes Trust along with Community Payback attended the event, where around 30 people turned out for a morning of cleaning. We have tried to engage with the two local primary schools, but to date had no success in contacting them. The event was advertised with this poster on lamp posts and in the local community centre. Once again, people from outside the area contributed to the morning; one lady came who lives at Bispham and walks her dog on the beach regularly. The event was also advertised in the local paper (Gazette) on the previous Saturday evening. At the third event the rubbish was weighed, and 114 kilos of man-made rubbish had been taken off the beach, in 22 large sacks. The majority of it was light items such as bottle tops, small pieces of plastic etc. Some of the residents being briefed by the Waterfront Ranger prior to starting cleaning the beach. The third event started from a different position on the beach, to make sure that the whole area was cleaned. The local authority have a cleaning programme in place, and our community cleans aren t to replace that, but are in addition to make sure that all rubbish, including the very small pieces that cause the most damage to wildlife, are taken away.
And Finally: We have all enjoyed the fruits of our labours, with two Tea on the Beach events where members of the community who have cleaned the beach enjoying an evening out with new friends and neighbours. In Summary: In a year, Rossall Beach Residents Association has developed as a group, and we are well on the way to resolving a number of issues which have been longstanding for many years in most cases. By working together and engaging with other agencies we have brought issues out into the public arena, and found solutions to problems. At the same time, we have pulled together as a neighbourhood it is clear that we are a group of very like-minded people who all have the interests of each other and our environment at heart, and through our campaigning and social events alike, we have formed a strong community. Residents and visitors are watching out for problems on the beach, with everyone involved developing a proprietal approach to the environment and making sure it is well looked after and safe. News of our success and efforts is spreading in the local area, through word of mouth, press coverage, and our regular newsletter, and people from far and wide are adding to our ranks, and in the context of this Neighbourhood Award it is the entire Neighbourhood to whom thanks go for the improvements.