Client: North Somerset District Council
North Somerset District Council appointed Planning Solutions to carry out a feasibility study to advise on the development and the property management strategy of the Council owned seafront concessions to assist with the regeneration of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. It was recognised that a number of the premises which comprise the seafront concessions form an important part of Weston’s appeal to tourists as clearly the seafront is the “shop window” for the town.

Our work incorporated

• Reviewing ten properties as part of the study
• Assessing the townscape and strategic policies to ensure future development proposals delivered strategic outcomes
• Carrying out a market assessment to provide a robust baseline upon which to make recommendations
• Advising on the use of individual seafront properties to create an innovative mix of uses
• Advising on a marketing strategy to attract operators for the concessions
• Identifying the leasing policy for individual units

Key challenges

• Limited residential population base
• Seasonality of tourist visits, which impacts on year round operation of businesses

Key outcome

• Our strategy stressed the importance that the seafront concessions could contribute to the overall coastal regeneration of Weston and that revenues generated could be used to improve the wider seafront infrastructure.