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The Journal

19 april 2007

'We want to catch the heritage tide'

By Tony Henderson Environment Editor, The Journal

A Tyneside council is considering bidding to have its shoreline designated a heritage coast. North Tyneside Council sees earning the status as a key part of its tourism strategy.

Much of the Northumberland shore is heritage coast, from Cresswell, just south of Druridge Bay, to near Berwick.

The Durham heritage coast is in three parts, beginning in the south at Crimdon Dene, north of Hartlepool and stretching to Ryhope Nook at Sunderland.

And now North Tyneside considers that it has the ingredients for heritage coast designation.

Paul Gowans, council head of cultural services: "We would like to secure heritage coast status to reflect the significance of our coastline.

"It would help raise the profile of North Tyneside and help attract inward investment."

However, if the council went ahead with the bid it is likely it would have to tackle issues such as the eyesore open air swimming pool at Tynemouth and the fact that the only missing part of the North Sea cycle route is in North Tyneside.

The dereliction around the Spanish City in Whitley Bay is about to be transformed by a £60m scheme which recently won planning approval.

Mr Gowans said that any bid would be in line with the council's cultural coast strategy, which included upgrades for its leisure pool, Whitley Bay Playhouse, Spanish City Dome and open spaces and plans to make the most of heritage factors - such as the American artist Winslow Homer's association with Cullercoats.

Applications for heritage coast status go to Natural England for assessment.

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North Tyneside's potential heritage coast features:

* The Black Middens and Pen Bal Crag cliff sites of scientific interest.

* Tynemouth Priory and Castle.

* Blue Flag and Quality Coast awards for Longsands, King Edward's Bay, Cullercoats Bay and Whitley Bay.

* Cliff House, the Watch House and smugglers' caves in Cullercoats.

* St Mary's Island and Lighthouse which is a marine nature reserve.

* Whitley Bay Cemetery, a site of nature conservation importance.

* The rocky foreshore which is a Special Protection Area for purple sandpiper and turnstones.

* Geological features such as coal measures overlaying boulder clay and outcrop of sandstone cliff.


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