Preferred option for management of Hoylake beach to be taken forward

Members of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee have given Wirral Council officers the green light to work closely with Natural England and gain their assent for a new Beach Management Plan for Hoylake beach that as closely as possible matches the preferred option they voted through on Monday night.

At an extraordinary meeting at Birkenhead Town Hall, members of the committee considered and debated a report from council officers that recommended developing the 'amenity beach' option, which was preferred by the majority of people who responded to a recent consultation, as the basis for the final plan.

The outcome of that consultation was roughly 2/3 in favour of that option and members agreed that officers should now continue to work with Natural England on developing a new beach management plan that approximates as closely as possible to the 'amenity beach' proposal.

The life-saving operations of the RNLI and their ability to continue to launch and operate from the Hoylake foreshore was a central consideration in the development of both proposals that were on the table.

The 'amenity beach' option proposes the removal of as much of the vegetation that might be permitted by Natural England in order to restore and retain some amenity space at the beach and ensure that safe access can be maintained for the RNLI for their life-saving operations.

The committee's passing of the resolution means officers can take that option forward with Natural England, with an acknowledgement that it will require further refinements and activities to take place before the plan gains assent from Natural England and can be implemented.

These include the development and refinement of Habitat Regulation Assessments; further advice from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on a discretionary basis; a risk assessment under the Environment Agency's Water Framework Directive; a Marine Licence Application and a Protected Species Survey.

This work, plus progress on any additional refinements required on advice from Natural England, means it is unlikely that the new Beach Management Plan will receive final approval from Natural England before September 2024 and that work to remove any vegetation would not take place until April 2025 at the earliest.

The final Beach Management Plan will also include activities to address a range of associated issues at Hoylake beach, including the maintenance of drainage from the road; improvements to water quality discharges, the maintenance of Hoylake Boating Lake; effective management of wind-blown sand and a Hoylake Beach 'Code of Conduct', which all beach users will be required to adhere to.