SeaScapes

The SeaScapes Project are currently looking for an Independent Board Member, enthusiastic about the Seascapes area and protecting our marine and coastal heritage.  They are particularly interested in hearing from you if you have experience of, and connections to the communities along the Tyne to Tees section of the coastline.  Read more about SeaScapes Independent Board Members.

The Heritage Coast Partnership is thrilled to that National Lottery Heritage Funding has been secured for the coastline between the rivers Tyne and Tees. This will be the UK’s first marine Landscape Partnership scheme. The SeaScapes Partnership comprises of a group of local, regional and national partners that work in the coastal, marine and heritage sectors.

This funding will allow us to fully develop and deliver a scheme of 23 projects set to benefit our coastal heritage, the marine environment and local communities.

What is SeaScapes?

SeaScapes is the UK’s first Landscape Partnership scheme. We’re calling it SeaScapes for short, but the full title is Tyne to Tees, Shores and Seas – SeaScapes Partnership.

The scheme focuses on the undervalued Magnesian Limestone seascape between the rivers Tyne and Tees in North East England. This coastline is characterised by its unique geology and is largely designated as Heritage Coast; quite often overlooked as perceptions are blighted by an industrial past. This seascape is rich in maritime, wartime and natural heritage; though much of this is out of sight, held only in memory or hidden beneath the waves, and just waiting to be discovered.

Through the 23 projects, the SeaScapes scheme will improve access to beaches, explore the shipwrecks and habitats beneath the waves, improve biological recording through citizen science, construct a coastal conservation centre, tackle marine litter and create opportunities for local people and visitors to enjoy being on and in the sea. The scheme aims to take a community-led approach from the beginning, engaging coastal communities and sea users throughout development and delivery.

Who are the SeaScapes Partnership?

SeaScapes are a partnership of local, regional and national organisations working in the coastal, marine and heritage sectors that have come together to better protect and celebrate the unique but all too often overlooked coastline between the rivers Tyne and Tees in North East England.

The Heritage Coast Partnership is one of the Partners, alongside South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham and Hartlepool Councils, the National Trust, Northumbrian Water, Durham Wildlife Trust, North East Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, Natural England, Groundwork, Marine Management Organisation, the Environment Agency, East Durham Heritage Group, Donnison School and Durham and Newcastle Universities.

The Partnership would welcome community representation, please get in touch if you are interested in being involved.

What happens now?

The delivery phase of the scheme will start in late 2020, when we will  start delivering these exciting projects! The SeaScapes scheme will run for 4 years (2020-24), delivering around 23 projects to the communities of South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham and Hartlepool.

Media News!

National Lottery funding is set to make waves for coastal & marine heritage in the North East of England

• £2.78m has been awarded to the Heritage Coast Partnership in the North East, for the first National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Marine Landscape Partnership

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is showcasing its commitment to coastal and marine heritage in the North of England by awarding £2.78m to the Tyne to Tees, Shores and Seas Partnership scheme – the only scheme of its kind to be supported by The Fund. The grant will allow an exciting and long-anticipated £5 million North East coastal project to begin, which will benefit communities in South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham and Hartlepool over the next four years. The project, more simply called SeaScapes, has taken three and a half years of detailed planning and preparation to arrive at this point and is now planned to begin later this year.The SeaScapes scheme will deliver 23 projects – both on-shore and beneath the sea – from South Shields to Teesmouth over the next four years. Its partnership and community approach to protecting and celebrating this fascinating stretch of coastline will be the first of its kind in the UK – the first Marine Landscape Partnership to be supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Focussing on the often-overlooked coast between South Shields and Seaton Carew, SeaScapes will offer opportunities for visitors from the local area and further afield to explore the heritage hidden beneath the waves, take part in ‘snorkel safaris,’ and allow them to enjoy being on and in the sea – all against the backdrop of dramatic cliff-top views and a rich shoreline that is home to a breeding colony of Little Terns, one of Britain’s rarest sea birds each May. The scheme will also seek to strengthen understanding of the sea and our relationships with it, encouraging people to get involved with a beach care programme to address the ever-increasing marine litter problem.

Heritage Coast officer, Niall Benson, who led the bid on behalf of the SeaScapes Partnership says: “This funding is fantastic news for everyone living on and visiting this very special stretch of coastline.“ Thanks in part to television programmes like Blue Planet, there’s an unprecedented public interest in our seas and in marine conservation. So much of our natural, industrial, cultural and maritime heritage lies out-of-sight beneath the waves and through SeaScapes we’re looking forward to giving it more attention. “The heritage of the Tyne to Tees seascape is locally and nationally significant and deserves to be better explored and celebrated. SeaScapes will do just that. The project is the result of a huge team effort and a lot of planning and we can’t wait to get started.” David Renwick, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Whilst our natural heritage has been identified as a key priority for us, marine and coastal heritage has been an area we haven’t really dipped our toes into as of yet.

We’re delighted to support the groundbreaking SeaScapes partnership, and that it will stimulate communities to have a real and positive impact on our natural world and make sure that it can still be enjoyed by future generations. We know that encouraging people to get outside will boost their wellbeing, and the beautiful coastline that SeaScapes will showcase is the perfect backdrop for it.”

SeaScapes is only possible because of the open collaboration and support from all the partners involved, led by the Heritage Coast Partnership, and these include:

South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham and Hartlepool Councils, National Trust, Northumbrian Water, Durham Wildlife Trust, North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, Natural England, Groundwork, Marine Management Organisation, the Environment Agency, East Durham Heritage Group, Living History North East, Heugh Battery and Durham University, Sunderland University and Newcastle University.

How can I get involved?

We’ll be keeping you up to date as other events and activities take place, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear it first.

 

For more information, please contact Niall Benson, Heritage Coast Officer on niall.benson@durham.gov.uk or 03000 268130.