Launch of action plan to boost coastal towns
A new report setting out plans to regenerate coastal towns across the country has been launched in Portsmouth.
The plans were unveiled during a visit yesterday (18 December) from Shadow Environment Secretary Nick Herbert who was met in Grand Parade by the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Portsmouth South Flick Drummond.
Mrs Drummond gave Mr Herbert a tour of the seafront, including the sea defences at Sally Port and the flood barriers on Spice Island.
The new report sets out a range of policies to revitalise seaside towns and deal with issues such as unemployment, poor transport and educational failure, as well as problems such as rising sea levels and coastal erosion.
They include plans to support seaside communities at risk of flooding, give councils a new power to levy business rate discounts and help seaside heritage attractions to secure lottery funding, establish a network of large scale Marine Energy Parks and lay DC cables to support the development of offshore wind farms.
During his visit, Mr Herbert met city councillor Terry Henderson and several young activists who had braved the snow and ice to join him on his tour of the seafront.
Flick Drummond commented: "It was great to have Nick Herbert take the time in his busy schedule to visit Portsmouth and I am pleased that communities are put at the heart of all our policies as they are the best ones to decide how their communities should be run. There is a lot in this latest policy document to help residents of Portsmouth."
Nick Herbert commented: "I was delighted to visit Portsmouth to set out our policies to support coastal towns and I'm very grateful to Flick for showing me around. Portsmouth is a fantastic City which, like many coastal settlements, has been badly let down by the Government over the last 12 years. I hope that we will have an opportunity to put that right. And at the heart of it is the plan to give power back to local communities where it belongs."
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. For a copy of the report ‘No Longer the End of the Line: Our Plan for Coastal Towns', visit http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2009/12/Conservatives_launch_coastal_towns_action_plan.aspx.
2. For the website of Conservative PPC for Portsmouth South Flick Drummond, visit http://www.flickdrummond.com/.
3. In the photograph Nick Herbert is shown with Flick Drummond during his visit to Portsmouth.