Action is needed to "save" a section of Southport beach for the enjoyment of the community and visitors to the town, the Green Party has said. There has for a few years been concern that Southport beach is being silted up and becoming more of a mudflat plain, with vegetation beginning to take over in parts.
Proposed Measures to Combat Siltation
Sefton Council must work with experts to explore the possibility of measures like sand fences, short wooden posts and partially buried boulders to keep wind-blown sand on the beach, Green councillor Neil Doolin has said. In a motion set to be discussed by the council on Thursday, Cllr Doolin said these measures would reduce the need for wind-blown sand to be removed manually from the sea wall paths by the road.
He is asking the council to engage urgently with Natural England to explore solutions like tidal flow through artificially restricted channels under the pier to improve drainage. Concrete-filled steel boxes and other structures linked to the pier currently block parts of the natural channels running beneath the walkway, which interferes with the flow of the falling tide. This means that fine mud settles and the beach remains wet for longer periods between tides, which contributes to the spread of colonising marsh species, he said. He said that addressing this would reduce the build-up of silt on the tourist beach.
Focus Area and Economic Importance
The area covered by Cllr Doolin’s motion is a 400m-wide stretch from the Guelder Rose pub to the Everlast Gym roundabout, beyond which the councillor proposes incorporating existing areas of shell and at the foot of the sea wall to provide a slope for children’s buggies and specialist beach mobility equipment. He said: “Southport’s beach and pier form the natural focus of one of the town’s main visitor routes, stretching from Chapel Street railway station to the Victorian promenade, associated pier, lake, gardens and tourist attractions and on to the coast and beach. The beach and seafront are widely used and valued. People come here to walk, cycle, sit, play, enjoy the view, and spend time together. The Green Party believes it would be a great loss if the last remaining area of seafront sand at Southport was allowed to disappear without a serious effort to save it.”
Cllr Doolin is calling on Sefton Council to acknowledge that the remaining area of sandy beach is important to Southport’s identity as well as to the local economy, providing visitors with safe pedestrian access to the beach and sandbanks beyond the pier. He said that the beach north of the pier also provides a winter feeding ground for uncommon bird species, and that Southport offers an alternative when other coastal car parks at Formby or Ainsdale for example are full.
Opposition to Weedkillers and Saltmarsh Removal
He is also urging the council to confirm that it opposes the use of toxic weedkillers and the mechanical removal of significant areas of the existing saltmarsh. Colonising grass and other plants could be physically removed from the designated area, Cllr Doolin said, adding that previous attempts to stop marsh species spreading across a wider area using herbicides and machines have failed. He said that concentrating on a smaller area of the beach would make the removal of colonising plants more sustainable.
Cllr Doolin’s recommendations will be discussed at Sefton’s full council meeting on Thursday evening from 6:30pm.
