North Tyneside Council has earmarked almost £2m for a new causeway to St Mary’s Island, home to the famed lighthouse, with £1.7m reserved from the general fund for the project.
According to the local authority’s investment plan, covering 2026 to 2031, the funding will help deliver a brand new causeway to St Mary’s Lighthouse. The council announced in October 2025 that it was exploring options to restore the causeway, though funding and plans had not yet been confirmed.
Deteriorating structure
The concrete causeway stretches 900ft and links the Brierdene car park to the island. It is used by more than 100,000 visitors a year. The link has undergone previous repairs and resurfacing, but sections have now deteriorated.
Coun Charlie Gray, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “St Mary’s Island and the lighthouse is one of our most iconic landmarks, attracting visitors from across the region and beyond. The proposed scheme would see the causeway fully reconstructed after years of storm damage and ongoing repairs, helping to secure its long-term future while carefully considering the site’s unique heritage, landscape and natural environment.”
Planning proposals
In September this year, plans were submitted to council planners detailing the need for a new causeway, including measures to reduce the risk of unplanned closure and ongoing patchwork repairs in an ecologically sensitive location. The plans state: “Continued patch repair would not address the underlying end-of-life condition and would result in repeated disturbance of the intertidal environment.”
At the time of publication, a final decision on the proposals has not been made.
Previous restoration works
The plans add to North Tyneside Council’s previous works on the island, following a £900,000 restoration of St Mary’s Lighthouse and cottages in 2024, which included tower repairs and interactive exhibits showcasing the island’s heritage and wildlife.
