Background to the Action Plan
During 2020, both before and after national lockdown restrictions eased due to COVID-19, people flocked to the coast in their thousands which resulted in a strain on facilities, and concerns about keeping everyone safe was felt by all agencies working together at the coast.
While most people took a sensible approach to their visit, sadly there was an increase in anti-social behaviour and more fines were issued than in previous years owing to illegal parking. Mindless littering not only looked unpleasant but was costly to clear up and damaging to coastal wildlife. The stretching of COVID-19 restrictions by some called for an increased response from the already strained emergency services.
A Coastal Visitor Action Plan was drawn up by Sefton Council and was reinstated again during 2021 to ensure that Sefton’s coastline is safe for residents, visitors and its own staff.
Access & parking, facilities, public safety and clear communication are among the key elements of the plan, covering the Borough’s main coastal locations of Ainsdale, Crosby and Waterloo, Formby and Southport.
Action Plan Documents
| Coastal Gateway Visitor Action Plan 2021 |  (pdf 497KB) |
| Coastal Gateway Visitor Action Plan 2020 Review and 2021 Proposals | (pdf 510KB) |
| Coastal Gateway Visitor Action Plan Summer 2020 | (pdf 253KB) |
Sefton Coast Visitor Traffic Study 2020
As part of the wider Visitor Action Plan, a key area of concern identified was traffic management in coastal areas.
In 2020 the Council commissioned an independent review of traffic management options, to help inform future actions.
This independent report, the Sefton Coast Visitor Traffic Study, looks at the issues, options and potential action.
| Sefton Coast Visitor Traffic Study 2020 | (pdf 17.61MB) |
The report identifies a range of potential measures but also recognises the need for the Council to take budget, other restraints and competing needs of other areas of the borough into consideration in agreeing key priorities.
The Council is now using the report to develop a prioritised Traffic Management Plan that will take forward some of the actions identified in the report. The Council’s plan will also be published here when it is agreed.