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The TERN Project is major programme of public art which has been woven into the reconstruction of the sea defences along Morecambe’s promenade, and into the redevelopment of the town centre. The programme arose through the recognition
that the sea defence and town centre proposals offered the opportunity to create a
major environmental initiative. This was to be aimed not only at improving the
resort’s appearance, but also the image that it presented to visitors, and to the kind
of tourist destination that the town might become over the next few years.
Morecambe was hugely popular from its Edwardian hey-day until the 1960s.The 30’s splendour of Oliver Hill’s Midland Hotel and other splendid buildings, now sadly faded
and neglected, remind us of its one time prosperity.
However, like many traditional seaside resorts, Morecambe had by the late 1980s
become seriously run down after the departure of its once reliable visitors for
warmer foreign shores.The two week holiday market disappeared, replaced by a
reducing number of day or weekend visitors, oriented increasingly towards the
elderly age groups.
Many hotels and guest houses became redundant, reverting to cheap shared accommodation for people attracted to the coast by the lure of seasonal
employment and cheap housing. The results included rising unemployment, large
numbers of HMO’s, the reduction of visitors and the closure of visitor facilities.The
tourist heart of the resort was a huge area of railway land which was almost entirely
neglected, with limited services running into one platform of the listed but neglected
station.The remaining Pier was underused and decaying, facilities closing and the
Promenade Gardens tired and dated.
Nature’s intervention provided the catalyst for change - major storms caused
extensive flooding and huge damage. The analysis of the courses of action available
led to a huge programme to rebuild the resort’s coastal defences, funded largely by
MAFF.
As new coastal defences were being planned, a review identified the need for physical
renewal and a new direction for the resort to replace the declining role as a
traditional seaside holiday centre.
The idea of a major environmental renaissance began to emerge, inspired by the magnificent natural arena of Morecambe Bay, its internationally important birdlife and
its role in developing new forms of tourism.
To take the idea forward Lancaster City Council established a design team. It linked
the local authorities (District and County), other agencies i.e. RSPB, English Nature,
local businesses and the project team.The project team was multi-disciplinary, and
the project became a common interest that stimulated and united the efforts of a
number of colleagues from different departments.
One of the first steps was appointing lead artist, Gordon Young. He led the process
of identifying design ideas and commissioning the selected artworks. A series of
main sites for public artworks were identified, then artist’s briefs were prepared
and artist’s sketch books commissioned for each site. Each artist was appointed on
the basis of the ideas in the sketchbook. In this process, the lead artist’s knowledge,
experience and contacts proved invaluable.
The redesigned promenade, the new outdoor arena and the Stone Jetty have
provided in effect a major new street theatre, and the idea of festivals was very
much in mind when the scheme was being designed. These are now a feature
of Morecambe’s tourism product, a response to the loss of the traditional resort
activities.
The challenge now is to use the inspiration from the programme to ensure that
each new development in and around the town centre contributes to the continued
improvement and development of the resort’s environment. These improvements
have not just made Morecambe look better. They have brought interest and fun to
visitors and to residents, young and old alike. They have helped to underpin a new
approach to tourism in the resort, by providing indoor and outdoor stages for the
performing arts, and have gone some way at least to putting to rest the old music
hall jokes about Morecambe.
There remain many other important challenges for the resort. The Midland Hotel
was in a bad state, but is currently being developed by Urban Splash.
(See also local interest group Friends of the Midland
Hotel.) The Winter Gardens Theatre,
a 2000 seat structure on the Promenade,
has been successfully restored externally, but needs a new use and a complete
internal restoration. Both buildings are listed, and both lie in key locations in relation to the TERN programme. Their survival is fundamental to the continued regeneration of the resort.
We have recently secured a Townscape Heritage Initiative for the town centre
area, which will bring significant grant assistance for conservation work, and should
help in the continued efforts to rescue important features.The Council will now
with its partners be looking at all new development proposals for the town,
whether large or small, to see how they can contribute to the continued upgrading
and enhancement of the environment, and to the regeneration of the resort.
See also Tern case study on the CABE website
(Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment)
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