Phase one of Fleetwood’s £1.5m seafront facelift gets under way today with improvements to the marine lakes. The overall aim is to achieve consistent levels of water, so that a better range of sports and activities can be provided in the future.
Work is due to start today (8 December) when the main boating lake will be dredged and drained. Once empty, any necessary repairs can be carried out to the lining, the aprons will be re-concreted and some of the access pathways improved.
The lake will then be refilled with water early next year and focus will shift to the model yacht lake and paddling pool. As the area is a popular route for walkers, the surrounding pathways will remain open as often as possible.
Councillor Peter Murphy, Cabinet member with responsibility for the seafront refurbishments, said: “ Once all the repairs are complete and improved access is created for our engineers to maintain water quality, the potential for these lakes is endless. They are already a stunning asset to Fleetwood, but just think how much better they’ll look if we can turn them into a recognized destination for water sports.”
During the 16-weeks of work around 5,000 tonnes of wind-blown sand is expected to be removed from the water and stored on site. The mounds of sand will be litter picked and transported to Rossall to be used on another Five For Fleetwood project – a new ecology park which will take shape as part of the new sea defenses construction.
The Five For Fleetwood scheme has been made possible thanks to funding from the Coastal Communities Fund. Other projects include a refurbishment of Euston Gardens, an outdoor splash pad and decked cafe outside Fleetwood leisure centre and a skate park near the Mount pub.
All of these should be completed by late spring.
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Press Release