Ministers have named over 50 Coastal Communities Fund winners, while revealing the £64m pot of funding for the scheme’s next round.
Locations including Southend in Essex, Colwyn Bay in Wales and Port of Ellen on Islay in Scotland have been awarded a share of £27.7m to support regeneration and investment.
This latest round of funding is expected to support over 4,000 jobs and create around 1,000 new apprenticeships and training places in seaside sites.
Around £270,000 was allocated to develop Northern Ireland’s first lobster hatchery, with a further £170,000 going to develop the Arran Coastal Way in Scotland. Southend will receive £1.3m to diversify its tourism offer, including the development of a Seafront Apprenticeship scheme.
Some £17m was allocated to economic development projects in areas hit by recent flooding, including Great Yarmouth and Weymouth.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles and chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander also opened bidding for the next round of the Coastal Communities Fund, which will prioritise bids on coastal flood protection and repair.
‘Regenerating forgotten coastal communities is part of the Government’s long-term economic plan and our Coastal Communities Fund is backing over 100 projects, that will support a total of 6,500 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships creating new opportunities for local people,’ Pickles said.
‘In England, nearly three-quarters of these regeneration projects funded today are in flood affected areas and our support will help these communities show they are back in business.’
Alexander added: ‘The Coastal Communities Fund is supporting some of the most fragile communities. It is a great way to make sure that people living around our coastline can share in the benefits of the increased returns for the Crown Estate’s marine activities.’
