One of the UK’s ‘worst seaside towns’ has a £20m plan

A seaside town that has been dubbed one of the country’s worst has revealed major plans to transform into a trendy location.

Weston-super-Mare, on the north Somerset coast, was named one of the worst seaside towns by both consumer group Which? and the Telegraph. 

But that might not be for long as a set of new additions to the location could see opinions of the destination completely shift. 

The town council’s tourism and information services manager, Warren Parker-Mills, shared plans for the seaside town’s new “brand,” part of a £20 million Weston Placemaking Strategy.

The project will see the town tansformed as part of a 10-year plan, with it taking inspiration from a certain hotspot in the capital.

Warren Parker-Mills told local media: “I used to spend a lot of time in London and avtually, I can almost envisage Weston further down the line to have little pockets of Shoreditch or little pockets of Islington.”

A brand new waterpark set to open this summer are one of the additions include in the plans.

The town already has Water Adventure & Play Park which is currently being renovated to house new structures and play areas.

Mr Parker-Mills also said there are plans to revamp the 158-year-old Birnbeck Pier, which has been closed for over 30 years.

The town has a £10 million funding for the proposed job.

The Old Town Quarry which is also closed could be transform into an event space.

He added: “We could have an opera there, we could have a ballet there, we could have things that are not neccessarily associated with Weston-Super-Mare.”

There are a number of hopes and ideas to give the town the boost it needs, and Mr Parker-Mills isn’t short of ideas.

He has also proposed to make use of the empty stores, he suggests “a couple of artists to come in and hand paint a green grocers on the inside of the glass, and a barbershop next door, and a butchers next door?”

Weston-super-Mare, may be looked down on now, but it once was a popular Victorian seaside resort back in the 18th century. Today it is home to many attractions including the an interactive helicopter museum and a huge two mile long beach.

The town aims to complete the revamps by March 2026.