AN AMBITIOUS multi-million pound project aimed at transforming Scarborough’s beaches into the best in Europe was unveiled yesterday.
Yorkshire Water vowed to spend £110 million to improve the region’s bathing water and sands over the next five years – and take the title of Europe’s best beaches from Portugal in the process.
Tough new European Union regulations, set to come in to force in 2015, mean that bathing water off the coast of Scarborough and Filey will have to be significantly cleaner, if they are to retain their coverted Blue Flag status.
However the multi-agency partnership between eight bodies including Yorkshire Water, Scarborough Council and the Environment Agency, aims to not only retain the Blue Flag status, but extend it to all of Yorkshire’s eight resort beaches.
At the launch of the partnership at Scarborough’s Spa complex yesterday, guests were told that the improvements would mean a huge boost for the region’s economy.
However there was also a warning that residents would be inconvenienced over the next few years as the infrastructure is put in place to meet the tough new standards.
The majority of the work is expected to be carried out in Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington.
Construction work is expected to begin in January 2012 in Scarborough, and January 2013 in Filey.
Scarborough Council chief executive Jim Dillon said: “There’s going to be short-term pain for long-term gain.
“Tourism is the lifeblood of this area. If we don’t invest, someone else will.
“Being able to boast the best beaches and bathing waters in Europe would provide a major shot in the arm for the economy of the region.”
Yorkshire will be the only area in the country where the target quality of bathing water was above the ‘adequate’ level.
Graham Dixon, director of production at Yorkshire Water, admitted obtaining the top ‘excellent’ rating for each of the beaches would be a challenge.
“It’s a massive project,” he said. “We are going to go beyond compliance.
“To achieve the excellent rating, the quality has to be twice as good as the highest standard you can achieve now. We have a burning desire to go for it.
“There will be some disruption, but this is excellent news for our customers.”
Mr Dixon added that in five years’ time, bills for each household would be just £1 higher in real terms than they are at present.
Over the past two years, a series of hi-tech tests have been carried out off Yorkshire’s coast by some of the world’s top experts in preparation for the investment.
Seabed-based sonar devices, the release of coloured dyes through sewage pipes and large floats fitted with GPS satellite navigation systems have been used to discover the effect of different weather conditions on sewage water.
The campaign group Surfers Against Sewage, which has previously said both Scarborough and Filey beaches should be stripped of their Blue Flag status, also welcomed the move.
Campaign director Andy Cummins said: “We warmly welcome the commitment to achieving excellent water quality standards.”
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire and chairman of the multi-agency partnership said: “I am honoured to chair this board.
“We believe our coast is already the finest in the UK. To be able to say we have the best beaches in all of Europe would be incredible.”
