Regeneration of seaside towns

By Linda Turner,REGENERATING seaside towns is a topic in which residents and businesses in the local area have a vested interest.

Anyone who would like to have a say on the subject, along with 175.00 to spare, may wish to invest it in attending a two-day conference which the English Heritage will be hosting in the autumn.

The conference - aptly called Seaside Heritage: Colour Past, Bright Future - will be attended by leading historians, academics, policy makers and, individuals with an active role in regeneration which includes East Sussex County Council leader Cllr Peter Jones.

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In a statement Allan Brodie, senior investigator at English Heritage, who has spent the past five years researching the history of seaside towns, said: "Many seaside towns have suffered a downturn in prosperity marked by physical, environmental and community decline.

"Very often, the historic fabric that made these towns distinctive is under pressure to adapt to changing holiday tastes and at risk from inappropriate development.

"A national debate on how and why we should protect this precious heritage is timely.

"The recently-published Communities and Local Government Committee Report on Coastal Towns affirms the role of heritage in regenerating seaside towns in the 21st Century but the main question is: is physical renewal enough?

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"What else is needed to unlock their economic potential? And what should local, regional and national organisations do?"

The conference will be held at St. Mary in the Castle, Hastings on October 16 and 17 and is open to anyone and, although the cost may limit those who are able to attend there are a limited number of free/subsidised tickets for full-time students, unpaid voluntary workers etc.

For more information and booking details visit the website at: www.english-heritage.org.uk/seasideheritage. Alternatively contact Helen Charlton of Sussex Arts Marketing on 01273 882 112.