Lesson from a long ride

Since lockdown, I have been cycling, in stages, along the coast of Britain. This provides some splendid rides, like the sea defences of North Kent; pretty Norfolk villages with some really good new housing schemes (contrasting with the tat of the volume housebuilders that you see so much of as you pedal across the English countryside) and the rail-to-trail routes through Yorkshire.

But what interests me most are coastal towns whose economies have been destroyed by seismic changes in holiday habits, infrastructure, industrial policies and fishing. As I completed my latest leg up to Middlesborough, I wondered what we might learn from these places, how they have transformed themselves – or not – in the light of the post-COVID changes happening to our cities across the land.
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As I arrived in Scarborough, I was struck by how the Grand Hotel dominated the steep escarpment that drops down to the beaches and amusement arcades that line the harbour. I had seen the hotel online when booking somewhere to stay. Rooms were £35 a night. That didn’t seem right.

It’s Grade II*. At the time of its opening in 1867, it was the largest hotel and brick structure in Europe. There were 365 bedrooms, one for each day of the year. The plan is in the shape of a 'V' in honour of Queen Victoria. Wealthy Victorian holidaymakers flocked to the place.

Now it houses Afghan refugees. The wealthy no longer go in great numbers. The less well-off have deserted it for the Costa Brava or Kavos.

For me, one of the more heartening features of the town was the Bike and Boot Hotel, part of a growing chain developed to appeal to a different type of holidaymaker, quite a few of whom would have arrived via the Cinder Track from Whitby. The track follows the route of the train line that served the coast up until the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. It’s a lovely bike ride, but a train service would be better for the economies of towns along the coast. Beeching has a lot to answer for, as I am sure Sunak will in 50 years' time when the lack of HS2 will have held back the businesses of the Northern Powerhouse.

Cycling through Hull, one felt that the Year of Culture in 2017 had had a tangible impact on the city – Humber Street in the Fruit Market Area was lively, with cafés spilling out onto the cobbled street. The old town looked spick and span, linked together by public realm enhancements that improve connectivity across the city. The Deep, designed by Terry Farrell in 1999 and which kicked off the city's transformation, looks imperiously out across the Humber and reminds one that regeneration takes time.

Across the Pennines at Morecombe. Urban Splash refurbished the iconic Midland Hotel and gave some hope to the town back in 2008. They then came up with a further scheme that would revitalise the town. Risk-averse Lancaster City Council turned down the scheme due to “doubts over whether Urban Splash could deliver the scheme given the current state of the economy, and the impact an unfinished scheme could have upon the setting of the Midland Hotel, the conservation area and the Winter Gardens.”
Ten years later, there's a chance that the Eden Project, designed by Grimshaw, might transform Morecambe’s seafront and kick-start regeneration more widely in Morecambe, having been given some £50m of Levelling Up money. The project aims to “reimagine what a seaside destination can offer.”

Culture has been a strong driver for the regeneration of Margate. Turner Contemporary was kicked off by Kent County Council back in 2001. After a false start with an unbuildable design by Snohetta, David Chipperfield’s design was completed in 2011. Tracey Emin has played an essential role in promoting the town's cultural offer, attracting young families fleeing London's high house prices.

The rebirth of Folkestone is the brainchild of Sir Roger De Haan, a native son and former owner of Saga. His charitable trust has spent an estimated £100 million investing in Folkestone. Shoreline Crescent, by Acme architects, marks the first phases of the 1,000 homes development along the half-mile stretch of beach and harbour. The regen project is helped by the fact that it takes just 54 minutes by HS1 to reach London St Pancras – over half an hour less than the commute to Margate.

Culture is a common factor in these examples, which is where London is lucky. We have always had a world-beating range of theatres, galleries and museums, but there are improvements on their way – East Bank at Stratford will transform the QEOP, the City of London's spectacular London Museum and the renewal of the Barbican Centre will play an essential role in attracting more people to the Square Mile. Waltham Forest, the first Borough of Culture, has long-term ambitions to establish the borough as a cultural destination building on venues like the William Morris Gallery, Fellowship Square and the Soho Theatre Walthamstow.

The lesson I take from my ride is that regenerative doesn’t happen overnight. Positive development is important – don’t let the place rot like the Grand Hotel. Good public transport, placemaking and infrastructure are essential, as are imaginative politicians, but culture is critical to bringing the whole together, reinforcing communities and attracting business.