Once synonymous with decline and despair, the UK’s seaside towns are getting a welcome cash injection.
Ambitious regeneration projects are breathing new life into a number of the country’s coastal gems – and given the increasing cost of flights, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
These investments conveniently also coincide with a wave of obsession for all things nostalgia, from low rise jeans to vinyl records.
National treasure Danny Dyer is among those harking back to the era of domestic travel being the norm, saying he hopes his upcoming show The Dyers’ Caravan Park will ‘save the great British holiday’.
Give it a few years, and even the cynics may end up swapping Seville for Skegness, the Balearics for Bognor, or the Greek Islands for Great Yarmouth.
Blackpool
Despite welcoming almost 20 million visitors each year, with its iconic Pleasure Beach being ranked among the UK’s most popular tourist attractions, Blackpool has been called ‘bleak’, ‘tired and’ ‘run down’ by online reviewers.
The Lancashire town has certainly changed a bit since its post-war heyday, when JB Priestley described it as a ‘great, roaring, spangled beast’. Following the rise of cheap foreign holidays, Blackpool struggled to compete, and its stereotypical offering of B&Bs, arcades and stag parties earned it a reputation (at least in certain circles) as ‘tacky’.
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For some though, it’s the lack of snobbery that makes the place so special, with Metro‘s Jess Hamilton writing: ‘Yes, it might be rough around the edges. But it’s hard not to admire Blackpool’s kitschy charm and determination to stay alive.’
Since 2010, the council has been working on a major regeneration plan ranging from tourism to housing, and is now seeking investment for its latest project, The Blackpool Central Development.
Proposals for the 10-acre site near the Golden Mile show a wide-ranging leisure complex including a 200-bedroom hotel, a flying theatre, two indoor theme parks, a public square, and various bars and restaurants.
Businesses are doing their part in changing Blackpool’s perception too, with the likes of Hampton by Hilton and a Holiday Inn opening up in recent years – and proving a welcome addition to a seafront dotted with dated B&Bs.
Visitors next summer can also expect a new £1.5million big cat facility at Blackpool Zoo and the long-awaited Aviktas ‘gyro swing’ ride at Pleasure Beach, scheduled for launch at some point in 2026.
Skegness
Headlines have called it a ‘vulgar hellhole’ and a ‘ghost town’, and in 2023, it ranked bottom in Which?’s poll of British seaside destinations, yet a new study has identified Skegness as one of the UK’s top rental hotspots.
The investment it’s attracting could definitely point towards a comeback on the horizon; earlier this year, a £23 million project by East Midlands Railway was confirmed to improve the town’s train links, a new Travelodge is being built by the aquarium, and the Embassy Theatre – which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026 – recently received a complete makeover.
Speaking about the Lincolnshire town’s apparent renaissance, 43-year-old local, Justin Tai, told Metro: ‘I think it’s on the up because they’re doing work towards making things better. A lot of places struggled after Covid but there seems to be a positive attitude.
‘I honestly think it’s a lovely seaside town. It’s got a very lovely sandy beach, there’s lots of stuff to do even if it’s raining, and there are lots of places to visit, like the nature reserve for walks.’
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis, on the south coast of England in West Sussex, came last in Which?’s latest league tables for UK seaside resorts, scoring a meagre 36% ‘overall destination score’. The 4,000 Brits polled gave it just one star for most categories – including its pier, tourist attractions, scenery, shopping and value for money (although the beach and accommodation options did receive a slightly less damning two stars each).
That hasn’t stopped Butlin’s – which has been a major presence in the town since its first park there opened back in 1932 – spending £40 million on a new Splash Waterworld attraction at the Bognor site, followed by a further £15 million on its PLAYXPERIENCE indoor gaming activity centre.
Local authorities are also investing in a revamp of the area – portrayed in Jane Austen’s unfinished novel Sanditon – with a County Council spokesperson telling The Mirror: ‘Significant progress is already underway, including the recent £1.39 million Esplanade Public Realm Improvements. These works have enhanced pedestrian, cyclist and disabled access from the high street to the seafront, introduced traffic-calming measures and crossing facilities, added new planting, seating and litter bins.
‘The improvements are designed to create a more welcoming and accessible public space. They form part of a broader economic growth and investment strategy… Within the seafront area, nearly £40 million of approved investment in Bognor Regis is planned.’
The Regis Centre, said to be ‘the jewel in the crown’ of the regeneration programme, will turn the site of the Alexandra Theatre into a cultural hub with a range of family-friendly entertainment options. According to plans, the area around Bognor Regis station has also been earmarked as the ‘ideal location for a vibrant evening economy’, and could be home to a new ‘Café Quarter’ with various dining options, bars and a pedestrianised square.
Great Yarmouth
Metro acting opinion editor Ross McCafferty said Great Yarmouth ‘changed [his] view on seaside towns’, with plenty of variety ‘and a sense of adaptability that nicely accentuates its old-fashioned charm.’
Still, the Norfolk spot received an overall destination score of just 50% in Which?’s latest study, earning just two stars for its seafront, food and drink and tourist attractions, and a paltry one star for both scenery and shopping.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council is hoping to turn things around for the resort though, with a multi-million pound regeneration of the North Quay Waterfront area – described as ‘the most significant development opportunity in a generation’ – featuring leisure facilities, retail space, residential areas and revamped public spaces.
Carl Smith, a Conservative councillor and leader of the local authority, said: ‘North Quay is a key site which will become a vibrant new destination and will further enhance the town’s already prosperous economic future.’
This project, which is currently in the early stages, forms part of a £60 million ‘Town Deal’ investment strategy designed to support ‘economic regeneration, recovery, jobs and growth across the borough’s main urban areas’. If funding is secured, it could see Great Yarmouth’s historic Ice House transformed into a National Centre for Arts and Circus, while the Winter Gardens (a grade II listed Victorian building which has been shut since 2008 after falling into disrepair) will become a year-round Seafront attraction. The plan also includes improvements to walking and cycling routes, alongside upgrades to the local train station.
On top of this, the promenade welcomed a state of the art new leisure facility in 2022, following the previous Marina Centre’s closure on October 2019. With a six-lane 25m pool, two flumes, aqua play area, panoramic sea view gym, climbing walls, InflataZone, and beachside café, it gives visitors an indoor alternative if the British weather doesn’t play ball.
Weston-Super-Mare
Featuring in various ‘worst seaside town’ lists over the years, this Somerset resort’s fortunes had been fading since the 1960s. Not only was it called ‘depressing’ and ‘bleak’ by Redditors, it even gained the nickname ‘Weston-super-Mud’ due to the murky colour of its sediment-filled Severn Estuary seas.
Thankfully however, efforts to bring Weston-Super-Mare back to its former glory are starting to pay off.
FlixBus recently crowned it the top trending destination for next year, commenting: ‘Search interest has surged as Weston-super-Mare continues to reinvent itself with refreshed promenades, restored attractions, and plenty of reasons to just hang out.’
Around £20 million has been poured into the area so far, with the rebuilding of Grade II* Birnbeck Pier (the only pier in the UK to connect to an island), a major town centre re-development, and the rejuvenation of the Tropicana, the former lido, which was the home of Banksy’s 2015 Dismaland exhibition, all underway.
A new Weston Independent Market was also launched in 2025, bringing together the best artisan traders in the South West every Wednesday and Sunday, with seasonal events from live music to pop-up food festivals and fashion stalls.
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