Committee to Sea into the Town's Future

The challenges and opportunities facing South Shields will be the focus of a community meeting next week.

Members of the Place Select Committee will receive presentations as part of the ongoing commission into the town's future as a seaside resort.

The commission, which was instigated following a national government report on seaside towns, will examine how the council and its partners are responding to the recommendations made.

The committee will learn about environmental threats such as erosion and pollution and what is being done to monitor and protect the Borough's coastline. They will also be given an overview of the town's area management including parking and transport facilities, street cleaning and events.

Councillor Ernest Gibson, Chair of the Place Select Committee and also Chair of the Local Government Association's Coastal Special Interest Group, said: "Seaside towns up and down the country face a particular set of challenges.

"They have all been popular holiday destinations in their heyday and have fallen into decline because of a number of factors. Many are now needing to reinvent themselves.

"We need to be sure we are doing all we can to inject vitality into South Shields to make it a premier coastal resort for residents, businesses and visitors.

"There has already been a significant amount of investment into the town centre, foreshore and riverside areas and we need to build on that further."

The meeting of the Place Select Committee will be held at 10am on Tuesday 3 March at South Shields Town Hall.