A large yellow metal gate on Banks Road in Heswall has been installed and locked by Wirral Council as part of efforts to stop vehicles being driven onto Heswall Foreshore. The barrier has drawn criticism from local businesses and residents who say it is disrupting their work and restricting access to boats.
The foreshore has become known as a "boat graveyard" in recent years, with countless abandoned vessels left to decay on the coastline. The council is currently carrying out a £200,000 project to clear the site, and has so far removed more than 50 boats. The new electric gates can only be opened by people with a fob.
Restorers say work on D-Day ship hampered
Simon and Gemma Robins, who are renovating a Second World War ship called Sarinda that was used in the D-Day landings, said the gate has left them unable to park near their vessel. The couple, who document the project on a YouTube channel called Ship Happens, said they now have to park on the other side of the gate and carry equipment more than 300 yards to the boat.
The couple told the ECHO they fully support the efforts to clean up the beach but are unhappy with how the gate is affecting their restoration work. Simon said: "Breaking news, boats float." They argued the gate would not stop boats being left on the foreshore.
Boat yard manager warns of access problem
Banks Road is one of only two routes to Heswall Boat Yard, the other being a narrow private road called The Moorings. Steve Aston, the manager of the boat yard, said The Moorings is too narrow to tow a vessel through, meaning he cannot use Banks Road without asking the council to open the gate. He explained this was adding unnecessary hassle to the operation.
Steve, along with Simon and Gemma, argued that almost all the boats abandoned on the foreshore arrived by sea, so the gate was unlikely to stop them being left.
Councillor defends gate and addresses coastal path concerns
The gate has been defended by Heswall ward councillor Andrew Hodson, who insisted that unlicensed boats were being left by cars and trucks. He said boaters can still access the foreshore via the boat yard, despite it being a private road, adding: "We're not going to let it go back to how it was."
Concerns have also been raised about the gate's position on the King Charles III Coastal Path, which opened earlier this year and covers more than 2,500 miles of English coastline. Simon and Gemma suggested the gates could prevent people with disabilities from accessing the path.
Council says gate protects designated site
A Wirral Council spokesperson said the foreshore is part of the Dee Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Specially Protected Area for wildlife and a RAMSAR site. They said the council has a legal responsibility as landowner to manage activities that could damage the habitat, and none of the boats on the foreshore have permission to be there.
The spokesperson said the £200,000 project had removed more than 50 boats, with another four to follow by the end of August. On accessibility, they added: "In installing gates on Banks Road, advice on accessibility issues was fully considered and the gate has been positioned to allow for pedestrian right of access – including to the King Charles III Coastal Path - on both sides of the gate. The council will be further improving this side access shortly by using gravel to level the surface more."
