4 ms·

From an Australian perspective the idea that "seaside" towns are especially susceptible to economic decay and being left behind seems quite odd - even in parts

From an Australian perspective the idea that "seaside" towns are especially susceptible to economic decay and being left behind seems quite odd - even in parts of country without year-round beach weather, coastal localities here are usually the desirable places to live with subsequently healthier economies. Are there other countries that have experienced similar patterns of development to the UK?

lordnacho 3y ago
Ex industrial cities in the north perhaps?
rwmj 3y ago
It's a whole lot warmer in Australia. Here in Britain there are very few days when it is pleasant to sit on the beach in Blackpool, let alone go swimming in the sewage-filled sea. Cheap flights make it easy to go abroad to the warmer and nicer environment of Italy or Spain.
- wizofaus 3y ago
  Were seaside towns in the UK in the past particularly dependent on tourism though? And has a similar phenomenon occurred in other cooler-climate countries, in Europe or elsewhere? Tasmania's climate isn't so far off the UK's, yet I'm not aware of any hollowing-out effect among coastal towns there (Hobart has roughly the population of Blackpool, and was doing just fine last time I visited).
  - Symbiote 3y ago
    Yes, these towns were dependent on tourism. Blackpool was built upon it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool#Arrival_of_the_railways https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool#Arrival_of_the_railw... Hobart is the largest town on Tasmania, so presumably as well as tourism it is also a regional focus for industry and non-tourism services. Blackpool is 25km from Preston (same size), a little further from Liverpool and Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield (all large cities). The industry and services are in the other cities.
cameronh90 3y ago
Most UK seaside towns lost out to cheap flights to Spain. There's very little reason anyone visit Blackpool over Málaga. For the price of a depressing hotel in Blackpool you can get a modern resort in Spain with warm seas and reliably sunny hot weather every day. There are a few seaside towns that managed to hold on, such as Brighton. They're mostly in the South where the climate and sea temperature is a touch more bearable and you can feasibly go there on a day trip from London. Arguably, what's happened to seaside towns in the UK is really just a more aggressive version of what's happened to all smaller towns in the UK. The UK economy has become more centralised, particularly in London but also in other major cities. Towns have little to offer the modern British economy, as the engines that kept their economies ticking over moved to China and India. Basically, they are victims of globalisation, both in terms of easy travel and also free trade. [Un]fortunately, the UK government keeps them just afloat by pumping tax money into them via welfare, pensions and healthcare spending. Which arguably prevents them from completely failing, but possibly reinventing themselves to be more useful and relevant to the modern economy.
- jdietrich 3y ago
  There's a second-order problem related to their decline as tourist resorts. The B&Bs and hotels that were no longer viable as tourism businesses became cheap accommodation for the indigent. Perhaps inspired by happy childhood memories, a lot of people experiencing crisis decide to move to seaside towns and find a ready supply of cheap accommodation. The most severe deprivation in Blackpool is highly concentrated in a narrow strip just behind the seafront. The contrast is quite astonishing - Blackpool as a whole feels quite run down, but there are pockets that feel truly post-apocalyptic.
  - helveticar 3y ago
    UK tourist towns were highly seasonal. No one wants to go to Blackpool in December. Providing accommodation for asylum seekers or whoever was year-round money with cost savings as those people's complaints could easily be ignored.
- Earw0rm 3y ago
omarqureshi 3y ago
The UK is vulnerable to this because the weather is miserable. Other than last year, I can't remember a year in the last 2 decades where going to the coast wasn't such a massive gamble. Even I have given up and decided to spend a week in Turkey.
- Earw0rm 3y ago
  The coastal towns which have recovered have made the sea part of the backdrop, not the main event. Whitstable, Padstow - food & drink. Margate, St Ives, Folkestone - visual arts. Aldeburgh - performing arts. Burnham Market, Salcombe etc. - conspicuous displays of wealth. Rock - underage drinking. Brighton - partying hard. etc.
- wizofaus 3y ago
  > because the weather is miserable Last time I was in London (early March, though many years ago) it was pretty bloody miserable too, but it seemed to be doing well enough despite that! If any given day being well be suitable for hanging out at the beach is a gamble that would seem like an argument for choosing to live near it, where you can easily make spontaneous trips when the weather suits. FWIW our most recent mini trip away was to a coastal town in Victoria in the middle of winter, where the weather was never going to be beach-suitable, other than for the dog (who loved it of course). And of course the die-hard surfers. But it was still a very pleasant getaway, with plenty to do and see, and several places we visited were booked out.

lordnacho 3y ago

Ex industrial cities in the north perhaps?

rwmj 3y ago

It's a whole lot warmer in Australia. Here in Britain there are very few days when it is pleasant to sit on the beach in Blackpool, let alone go swimming in the sewage-filled sea. Cheap flights make it easy to go abroad to the warmer and nicer environment of Italy or Spain.

wizofaus 3y ago
Were seaside towns in the UK in the past particularly dependent on tourism though? And has a similar phenomenon occurred in other cooler-climate countries, in Europe or elsewhere? Tasmania's climate isn't so far off the UK's, yet I'm not aware of any hollowing-out effect among coastal towns there (Hobart has roughly the population of Blackpool, and was doing just fine last time I visited).
- Symbiote 3y ago
  Yes, these towns were dependent on tourism. Blackpool was built upon it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool#Arrival_of_the_railways https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackpool#Arrival_of_the_railw... Hobart is the largest town on Tasmania, so presumably as well as tourism it is also a regional focus for industry and non-tourism services. Blackpool is 25km from Preston (same size), a little further from Liverpool and Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield (all large cities). The industry and services are in the other cities.

cameronh90 3y ago

Most UK seaside towns lost out to cheap flights to Spain. There's very little reason anyone visit Blackpool over Málaga. For the price of a depressing hotel in Blackpool you can get a modern resort in Spain with warm seas and reliably sunny hot weather every day. There are a few seaside towns that managed to hold on, such as Brighton. They're mostly in the South where the climate and sea temperature is a touch more bearable and you can feasibly go there on a day trip from London. Arguably, what's happened to seaside towns in the UK is really just a more aggressive version of what's happened to all smaller towns in the UK. The UK economy has become more centralised, particularly in London but also in other major cities. Towns have little to offer the modern British economy, as the engines that kept their economies ticking over moved to China and India. Basically, they are victims of globalisation, both in terms of easy travel and also free trade. [Un]fortunately, the UK government keeps them just afloat by pumping tax money into them via welfare, pensions and healthcare spending. Which arguably prevents them from completely failing, but possibly reinventing themselves to be more useful and relevant to the modern economy.

jdietrich 3y ago
There's a second-order problem related to their decline as tourist resorts. The B&Bs and hotels that were no longer viable as tourism businesses became cheap accommodation for the indigent. Perhaps inspired by happy childhood memories, a lot of people experiencing crisis decide to move to seaside towns and find a ready supply of cheap accommodation. The most severe deprivation in Blackpool is highly concentrated in a narrow strip just behind the seafront. The contrast is quite astonishing - Blackpool as a whole feels quite run down, but there are pockets that feel truly post-apocalyptic.
- helveticar 3y ago
  UK tourist towns were highly seasonal. No one wants to go to Blackpool in December. Providing accommodation for asylum seekers or whoever was year-round money with cost savings as those people's complaints could easily be ignored.
Earw0rm 3y ago

omarqureshi 3y ago

The UK is vulnerable to this because the weather is miserable. Other than last year, I can't remember a year in the last 2 decades where going to the coast wasn't such a massive gamble. Even I have given up and decided to spend a week in Turkey.

Earw0rm 3y ago
The coastal towns which have recovered have made the sea part of the backdrop, not the main event. Whitstable, Padstow - food & drink. Margate, St Ives, Folkestone - visual arts. Aldeburgh - performing arts. Burnham Market, Salcombe etc. - conspicuous displays of wealth. Rock - underage drinking. Brighton - partying hard. etc.
wizofaus 3y ago
> because the weather is miserable Last time I was in London (early March, though many years ago) it was pretty bloody miserable too, but it seemed to be doing well enough despite that! If any given day being well be suitable for hanging out at the beach is a gamble that would seem like an argument for choosing to live near it, where you can easily make spontaneous trips when the weather suits. FWIW our most recent mini trip away was to a coastal town in Victoria in the middle of winter, where the weather was never going to be beach-suitable, other than for the dog (who loved it of course). And of course the die-hard surfers. But it was still a very pleasant getaway, with plenty to do and see, and several places we visited were booked out.