FREDs battle with building debris on Redcar beach continues

Our battle with rubble and building material continued today with the help of staff from the Regent Cinema. Neil Bates, the Regent cinema manager, joined us after just recently recovering from a heart attack. We’d like to thank him and the 20 volunteers who turned out to remove 15 bags of beach litter. The group then turned their attention to building materials and created another mound of around 5 tonnes of rubble.

The beach area between the Beacon and the Regent has certainly seen better times. While trying to clear half buried materials we couldn’t believe that we were digging up clay, mud and building gravel just below the sand. In fact the whole area is no longer fit for sunbathing and aesthetically displeasing.This is a lot to do with the dissipating sand year on year not being replaced when the Tees mouth is dredged.

The disabled access in this area is covered in sand and debris. If a wheelchair user did want to use this ramp they would get stuck at the bottom as there is a drop in the pathway creating a barrier to the beach. The design here is wrong and needs to be rethought.

 

Aside from this there is an immovable and jagged broken sewage outlet and pointed broken debris sticking up out from the sand. Building fabrics and felts are also half buried and impossible to shift without heavy equipment. We need diggers down here to clear the buried rubbish. It is unsafe and unusable and nothing short of dangerous. We would recommend closing this area until it was made safe.

 

We fully expect the Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to come and collect the piles of rubble but even their teams have been complaining about access to the beach now. We created a huge pile of masonry at the beginning on February – It’s still there!

What do we need to do to get a solution? – Apply for funding to hire out our own JCB, skips and clearance teams? We want a clean, safe, usable beach. You’d naturally think the council would want that too, following all the money spent on regeneration.  Recently the tourist information outlet has been closed. This is all bad for business and makes little sense.

We are ten months on from first bringing the issues of the beach to everyone's attention directly after Balfour Beatty had finished building the Coastal Defence. We have sent numerous emails every month, sent hundreds of photos, had meetings and have continually shouted about the problem. Where are we at? It's anyone’s guess.

Thank's once again to all our fantastic volunteers. You guys are the difference.

Friends of Redcar Beach Action Group March 2014

The place was Redcar Beach, to the left of the Redcar Regent Cinema. Our challenge to build a big "Rubble Sandcastle" out of the building material we could find much of it left behind and buried during the Coastal Defences work last year by Birse Coastal (now Balfour Beatty Construction UK) 

Following our rally call we gathered a hardy bunch of volunteers. Thanks guys you were great as always. We're always so inspired by these local residents who give up their Sunday morning to help their community.

It was a cracking morning and we got straight down to it. Amongst the usual bricks and masonry we also found large boulders of slag from British Steel and high volumes of half buried building felt and material. Unfortunately this stuff we couldn't move.

While we were at it we had a peak around the other side of the cinema too and it was equally as bad. Lots of building material impossible to shift without lifting equipment.

We weren't just there to shift rubble. Through their hard work the volunteers collected around 15 bags of litter.

As the time kicked on our rubble castle grew

And grew

And grew - Not entirely sure what was going on here? Trying to smuggle rubble off the beach? :D

After just an hour and a half we had our "Rubble Sand Castle". Imagine what 50 or 100 volunteers could shift in that time? We can but dream. 

Why not join us next time. On Saturday 5th April we'll be at the Caravan Park end of Majuba working our way down to the bandstand.

Beach Action Group Masonry Litter Pick October 2013

THIS SUNDAY 10am 6TH OCTOBER - BEACH ACTION GROUP dates.

As it's getting colder we are scaling down the beach picks and only expect the hardy (some might say foolhardy - but not me!!)

The beach litter and masonry picks will therefore be less heavily advertised through the winter. The meeting location and dates will be 10am :-

6th October Regent cinema - masonry pick 
3rd November Zetland roundabout for The Stray 
1st December TunedIn for Majuba  

Everyone is welcome to join us however we DO NOT expect people to turn out in all weathers. If that means me on my "Jack Jones" on the beach getting pointed at then so be it - strange man! Gloves and bags provided as always :)

In the new year we plan to run some cool events to include interacting with the primary schools, competitions and general 'fun' litter awareness strategies and litter picks - all focussing the attention to the beach and sea front. Lots of planning and preparing so we need as many hands up in the air to help as possible. 

If it's bad it's off! Wrap up warm. I'll bring flasks of soup and coffee! Gloves and bags will be provided as always :)

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