First stage of work completed at Marsden Bay in South Shields - this is what's happening next

South Tyneside Council announced plans for the Redwell Steps at Marsden Bay in 2019.

The old lifeguard and canoe store buildings at the site had been closed for many years and over time, their condition had deteriorated with the structures at increased risk of collapse.

Although the concrete steps have been repaired previously, they remained susceptible to ongoing natural coastal erosion.

New plans included clearing the old structures and rebuilding the lower steps to provide a safe and sustainable access to the bay.

Demolition work wrapped up in October, with construction on the new steps planned for 2021.

The works have also been scheduled within a ‘narrow window’ to avoid disturbing birds during the breeding and nesting seasons.

Borough councillors received an update on the project at a Place Select Committee on October 27, which was held via videolink and broadcast on YouTube.

While welcoming the timing of the works, councillor David Francis asked what impact the new steps might have on local wildlife.

“Once the works are complete and that new staircase is in there, what impact might that have on the wildlife and how close will users of the staircase be to nesting or breeding birds,” he said.

“I partly ask for the benefit of people as well as the birds, I used to live in Grotto Road which is very near to there and I know that if you’re not careful you can end up in an altercation with our feathery friends.”

Operations manager for environmental protection, Laura Turvey, responded: “We’re working very closely with Natural England to look at issues like that along with the marine management organisation consents we have got.

“We’re working with our internal conservation team to make sure that those issues are addressed through the detailed design process.”

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Cllr Francis also queried how the council would ‘future-proof’ the new steps in terms of “mitigating against future coastal erosion and rising sea levels.”

Although council officers could not confirm the expected lifespan of the structure, they said it would be “as sustainable as possible” with an adaptable frame.

Work on the new steps is expected to take six to eight weeks and will start in Autumn 2021.

In the meantime, health and safety measures have been put in place at the site including fencing and wider signage.

Council officers will also carry out regular checks on both the fencing and the bedrock.

The £440,000 project is being led by South Tyneside Council in partnership with the National Trust.

Earlier this year, partners secured £100,000 towards the project costs, thanks to a National Lottery Heritage Fund award of £2.78million to the Tyne to Tees, Shores and Seas Partnership scheme.

The scheme, also known as Seascapes, will deliver more than 20 community projects both on-shore and beneath the sea, from South Shields to Teesmouth, over the next four years.

Cabinet member for area management and community safety, councillor Joan Atkinson, welcomed the progress at Marsden Bay.

She said the works presented a “wonderful opportunity” to provide new information boards to help educate the public about the site and its ecology.

Committee chair, councillor Ernest Gibson, added this had previously been raised through the Local Government Association’s [Coastal] Special Interest Group, which he also chairs.

He said: “We had raised about information boards along the coastline because we have got some fantastic bays.

“When Covid-19 was at its height and everybody was out walking, people were asking what bay is this, what bay is that?

“There is no indication about what happened at that bay and I think that would be a great opportunity to highlight what South Tyneside is about, about our past and our history.”

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