The coastal town will undergo refurbishments in a bid to improve areas that have fallen into disrepair.
The £600,000 budget from the Tees Valley Combined Authority – which was approved for by Redcar and Cleveland Council – will be put towards the restoration of key parts of Satburn, including the concrete railings through the Marine Parade.
The decaying railings require new steel rails and posts, intended to be “heritage focused” in their design and will be coated with an anti-rust engineering grade polyurethane material which will retain quality through protection to coastal erosion.
Other areas the Council are targeting for planned improvements include:
- The main Promenade and Marine Parade and the footpaths and bankside that link the two
- Hazel Grove, where picnic tables could be added
- The Pier Car Park area
- The Boat Park area and adjoining Promenade
- Saltburn Bank and the Saltburn Road area around Car Nab Car Park
- The entrance ways to the Valley Gardens, where a project has been restoring the grade II listed Albert Memorial
On the proposed improvements, Saltburn councillor Phil Thomson told The Gazette: “There has been inadequate maintenance provision for the town, particularly as it is a major tourist destination. One of the challenges the authority faces is that it has many aspirations, but not the ability to deliver against them in a reasonable timescale.”
Asked what his wish list would be for improvements, Cllr Thomson said he would like to see money spent on a replacement bridge which previously spanned the beck in the Valley Gardens until it collapsed, while the condition of some footpaths in the area were in need of upgrades.
He also said steps from Marine Parade to the Lower Promenade needed to be looked at, including one set which was closed off to the public. The safe passage of pedestrians between the Cat Nab car park and the foreshore was also “not in a good place”, he said, suggesting an existing bus stop could be moved to assist traffic flow. He also suggested restructuring of the Pier Car Park should also be a high priority.
Cllr Thomson conceded that there were “equally merited aspirations” which may not be met with existing funding. He said he continued to be hopeful that the local authority would appoint a manager to oversee the management of the foreshore area, something he raised previously, with a full job description already in place.
