Dear Friends of Redcar

Dear Friends of Redcar,


Can YOU help us? 

We want to hold safe events on our beach such as sandcastle competitions, Easter Egg and Treasure Hunts not rubble collection.

We also have the British Land Sailing Championship coming in June. We don't want spectators sat amongst rubble! And we want to attract more entertainment to our greatest asset - the beach.

Below are contacts that may hold answers or assistance and who we've had direct dealings with during our plea to the Environment Agency to bring Birse back with their diggers to clear Redcar beach of their building material.

gary.flynn@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk is the Regeneration Operations Director for RCBC
james.mead@environment-agency.gov.uk is the project manager for the EA
simon.kirtlan@birse.co.uk is the project manager for Birse Civil
darren.edmunds@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk liaison officer for RCBC

Can you write to ask them when Birse (Balfour Beatty) are coming back? Can you let them know what you think about the mess left on our beach? And can you share your request and any responses with us?

Here’s an example of a letter you could write. Or you could copy/paste and modify just as easily.

“Dear Sir,

I wish to make a complaint. We are disgusted at the amount of broken masonry and building materials along the stretch of the new Coastal Defences on Redcar beach. We respectfully request that Birse (now Balfour Beatty Construction UK) come back to clean up. This work is necessary and will benefit the local residents, businesses, visitors, tourist and community event organisers coming into Redcar. We understand that Friends of Redcar (friendsofredcar@gmail.com) have been in contact throughout and have requested a return by the contractor that has been agreed. Please can you pursue or advise when the return date will be and what action will be taken.”

You could also send this message to these contacts below - the more awareness and strength of feeling the more our community will be represented in the places that matter. We need an elected champion.

george.dunning@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk   Leader of RCBC
ian@ianswales.com            MP for Redcar
annaturley@hotmail.co.uk  Candidate for Labour and Co-operative

Relevant councillors :-

irene.curr@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk and josie.crawford@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk (Coatham Ward)
ron.harrison@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk and josh.mason@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk (Zetland Ward)

RCBC, EA, and Balfour Beatty’s complaint process and the quality assurance groups Birse are associated with are below.

link: https://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/Forms.nsf/ComplaintForm_3?readform
(check box for complaint about “the Regeneration Project”)

link: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/contactus/36316.aspx
link: http://www.balfourbeattycsuk.com/contact-us/make-an-enquiry/
email: enquiries@birsecl.co.uk

email: alan.cadas@environment-agency.gov.uk
Operations Manager, North East Area, Environment Agency,  North  East

email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk 
email: newcastle@environment-agency.gov.uk
email: enquiries@ccscheme.org.uk “Considerate Constructor Scheme”
email: lrussell@cic.org.uk “Construction Industry Council”
Will you help?

Can YOU help us love our beach again?

We're considering opening a petition to show our disgust at the state of our beach. Show yours too and perhaps this will prompt our council and the EA to bring back their contractor Birse - (Balfour Beatty) to come back and clean up their mess. Do you think a petition will help?

Will you help Redcar? 

For more information check our links

Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.One

Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Two

Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Three
Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Four 
Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Five   
Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Six  - to follow


We want our beach back. 

Our beach, our town, our home - Redcar

Thank you,

FRED

Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Four

Following our winter hibernation we have jumped back on the horse and are galloping through to advise you of how Redcar beach is doing. It's not doing well to be honest. 

Redcar beach resembles a hideous building site along the Coastal Defences following the work carried out by Birse. It is laden with rubble, masonry, building felt, scaffolding parts, bricks, iron rods and that’s before we get to the litter issue. And it’s here to stay unless you act now.

It’s important that we as a small community pursue continued assistance and support by the contractor to remove this problem before the final contract between Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC), The Environment Agency (EA) and Birse (now Balfour Beatty) is signed off.

As a community group, Friends of Redcar (FRED) doesn’t believe the contractor is being pushed hard enough by RCBC to pick up its responsibility to the clean up and that the quality of the contractors work as a responsible and considerate construction company is questionable. If we allow this to go unchecked they will shortly be able to leave us with a beach that harms our enjoyment of our major asset, is unsafe for our kids and diminishes our flailing tourism economy even more so.

We are passionate about our beach. We want to take our children there and feel confident that they are safe in bare feet. We want to sit and have picnics and eat ice creams on the sand while enjoying our surroundings. We want to build sandcastles without fear of what we might dig up. We want to lay out our towels and sunbathe in a relaxed and popular setting. We want tourists to come in and spend their money in our town and cafés and to want to come back.

We are disgusted that our beach has been left like this. We have requested that the Final Contract with Birse (Balfour Beatty) should not be signed off until they commit to clearing the beach of their broken masonry, cement sacks and building materials that was buried there and has been revealed by dissipating sand and tides.

Last year we did indeed get the contractor to come back and they hand-picked some of this masonry up. It is nowhere near enough. We need heavy equipment down here and we need them to do it now before another summer is lost. We were assured last year that they would return. As yet we haven’t had a response to let us know if this will happen or when, so we can make arrangements to assist and observe.

With the lack of information coming from Birse, the Environment Agency and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council regarding our call for Birse to help with cleaning up and because of the overwhelming amount of building material  that's been uncovered over the winter we've decided to push forward our complaint to the EA and follow the official avenues.

“Dear Sir,

Following on from our initial complaint regarding our beach and having had contact with James Mead the Project Manager for the Environment Agency (EA) we would like to pursue our complaint further. 

We appreciate that the EA, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) and Birse answered our call to agree to an inspection in October 2013. Following on from that inspection, Birse through Simon Kirtlan, did carry out an initial sweep of the beach as a side issue to their intended reason for being in Redcar - namely the positioning of the seafront sculpture art. We thank them for this even though we had requested to be kept informed when they were coming so that we could join in and observe but were not. 

We also look forward to greeting them again in April or May to carry out another sweep AND even though we have not received any details following our requests to be kept informed (so we can build an event around it and observe, advise and assist) AND even though we are left to assume this will be another side issue to why Birse are expected to be in Redcar AND even though we again have no knowledge as to the extent of work they intend to do - we thank them.

To this end though we truly feel marginalised and discounted at the operation level of the Coastal Defence project and as residents who volunteer our free time to remove the vast amounts of building materials left behind by Birse, we are not satisfied 

- at the efforts to clean up our beach of the remains of the overwhelming evidence against Birse's regarding buried building material and masonry and therefore their commitment to behaving as a considerate constructor. 

-  with the lack of information from the EA regarding the intention to manage a clean up as the Project Leader.

- that we have had no official report from the EA following the October inspection and therefore no clear intent of how you will deal with our complaint in order that we can consider our future actions.

I'd also like to draw attention to a comment made during October's inspection, towards our problem by the Environment Agency in that "it isn't an environmental problem". In that case why are the Environment Agency solely given management over building projects in a built up area that relies on tourism? If the attitude is, it doesn't matter that the beach is left as a rubble land fill then who manages that side of the project?

We recently wrote requesting all public details of the contract between the EA, RCBC and Birse. Regarding the Flood Alleviation Project and any additional contracts for projects associated with it and any details regarding tthe intended final sign off we would exercise our right as set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 Part One and look forward to receiving this information along with any dated amendments. Please can we have an assurance that we receive this in a timely fashion and advise accordingly.

We are also pursuing our complaint through the RCBC, Birse and all associated professional and quality bodies.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing back from you.”

We've had a response and have added this to our Streetclub . Joining is free and simple. We will post the response here too at a later date. 

We have compiled a blog with links to key persons who can be made aware and an example letter to help you complain with us. 

http://friendsofredcar.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/dear-friends-of-redcar.html

Here are the links to the rest of this series so far :)

Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.One

Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Two

Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Three
Redcar Flood Alleviation Scheme Complaint Part.Five   

What's with the Redcar Regent Cinema?

Natalie Williams co-founder of Friends of Redcar drew attention to concerns about the state the sea front. She recognises the same issues regarding the shelters becoming an eyesore and uninviting and that they're in need of power-washing. She also sees the same litter problem on the beach alongside the building debris left there from the recent coastal defence work. However, Natalie sees an even more obvious negative visual impact on the seafront. The Regent Cinema!

Natalie brought attention to the Regent Cinema because of her fears that it is being intentionally left to decay. "I couldn't understand why the council had spent £75 million on the sea defences and new facilities on and around the seafront but had done nothing with the cinema. It stands out like a sore thumb and requires a huge facelift."

"It's evident when looking at the exterior of the Regent that it would require a large injection of cash to transform it and an incredible amount of work. The appearance from the beach can only provide a negative view to tourist and residents alike who will take that message home with them. Along with many other Redcar residents we would like to do something to make the difference that would ensure it has a future"

Rumours are rife that a multiplex amongst other facilities are coming to Redcar at the Coatham Bowl site once the new Redcar Leisure and Community Heart centre is built thus fuelling the debate over the intention for the existing Regent Cinema.





Natalie explains "It's almost as if this building is being left in such a bad state of repair so that public support sways to pulling it down in the next few years. There is no canopy any more so the cinema can't even advertise what's being shown. It often looks derelict.  Perhaps people don't realise it's a council owned building. Why aren't they doing it up? If something isn't done we will lose yet another iconic building in Redcar. This is an original Art deco 1928 theatre and now stands uniquely as the only independent cinema on the coast in Britain. We should do whatever we can to revitalise, promote and save it before it's too late.

"Too many of these kinds of buildings have been allowed to fall into disrepair in Britain until they fall foul with the local authorities who either pull them down or sell them to businesses who rip the heart out of them. I think we should be really mindful and act before it's too late."

For more images check our pinterest page

Friends of Redcar - "Beach Action Group" is born

Following concerns from residents and business owners and fed up of listening to positive spin that ignores the problems, we decided to create a community action group that unashamedly brings awareness and action to the negative visual impacts in Redcar. These issues have a detrimental affect on perceptions harming tourism, trade and the local economy. Pretending they aren't there is no longer an option. Something needs to happen to change this. For us this starts with the beach. Being summer it's important that our coastline is inviting. Unfortunately it is not!




Residents and business owners had been raising concerns that the newly built coastal defences and £30 million sea front was already beginning to look old and tatty. Co-founder of Friends of Redcar Carl Quartermain said,  "I have an office in the Palace Hub so see Redcar Esplanade on a daily basis. There was already obvious signs that more focussed maintenance was needed. I attended the Federation of Small Businesses' Lemon Top Event on 11/06/2013 at the Palace Hub regarding tourism. There were concerns our beach was depleted of sand, that the litter was terrible and in regard to the stains from liquids flowing from our brand new shelters. When all this was brought up it was no surprise and highlighted the many problems we have encouraging tourism to Redcar.

"As a presenter on Palace FM, when listeners heard I 'd invited George Dunning leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council for an interview, I received numerous emails regarding the regeneration work. Although cagey on air and to give George his due, he immediately emailed the concerns to the local Cabinet, EMT and neighbourhood team. George stated that he could see we had a point."

 

Red rag to a bull

"Following these concerns over lack of maintenance to the sea front I had a closer look myself. Along with the issues stated, I was amazed by the amount of bricks and rubble found all along the coastal defences and recognised that the work had not been cleaned up properly. I voiced my concerns to the council PR team. They took a look, but I was amazed to hear it was "tidal wash". So I took some photos and showed them. 

"So you took a picture of a brick" - This picture of bricks and concrete amongst natural beach rocks was effectively the birth of Friends of Redcar

"When I displayed the photos there was still an air of denial and shoulder shrugging and one comment which stuck with me. "Oh, you took a picture of a brick". I came away feeling incensed. It was like waving a red flag at a bull. From that moment I knew I had to do something"

Carl Quartermain and Natalie Williams felt the same way about the beach but wanted to develop a community group that did more than pick up litter. Emails showed many concerns throughout Redcar and for various problems with Redcar's image.  Natalie also had serious concerns in relation to the deterioration of the exterior of the Regent cinema. "The cinema is a council owned building. Allowing it to fall into disrepair while spending £75 million on the recent developments doesn't bode well. We have to keep a close eye on this and be prepared to fight to keep this building should it come to this."

Carl Quartermain and Natalie Williams created "Friends of Redcar" to raise awareness and to promote actions over issues that have a negative visual impact on Redcar in whatever capacity they can. Their initial event starts on the 5th August 2013 from the Dundas Street Slipway to the Turner Street Slipway at 8am to10am. For more images check our pinterest page