Nearly five years after a beach stopped being managed, people will get the final say on what happens next in 2024.
In 2019, Wirral Council stopped management of the Hoylake Beach including the raking and spraying of vegetation on what is an environmentally protected area. However the growth of vegetation on the sand has angered many in the community who feel they were not given a say about the decision campaigning to see the vegetation cleared and its “golden sands” return.
The issue has been called divisive, toxic, and compared to a civil war and those walking along Hoylake's promenade in December 2023 likened it to a bog and called it disgusting. Wirral Council said it has also received reports of people digging up vegetation themselves.
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The local authority said it stopped beach management on Natural England advice as its beach management plan was expiring in 2021 and would “allow for engagement with residents and stakeholders, and independent environmental and scientific studies to be carried out" on a new plan. It has been working on the new plan since.
A public survey carried out in 2022 with over 3,000 responses found 36.3% of people in Wirral supported the beach being cleared while 37% wanted it left to develop naturally. In Hoylake and Meols, 41.8% said there should be a balance between a natural and cleared beach while 34% said it should be completely maintained. 24% in Hoylake wanted it left natural.
In November 2022, Labour and Green councillors moved forward with two options. One was to look at clearing an 160m area of land from Trinity Road to the town’s RNLI station. The other was to allow it to develop naturally but look at improving accessibility, a key issue people have said has been made worse by the vegetation.
The council has been working with an environmental advisory service and Natural England since to develop both options to ensure they’d be given final approval by regulators before asking the public for their thoughts in early 2024.
However the two options were opposed by Hoylake’s Conservative councillors suggesting the council move forward with a much larger area of land cleared from the King’s Gap to the lifeboat station. This was voted down but they have put forward a village green application in hopes this could help their campaign.
Natural England, who will approve any future beach management plan, had already told the council it was unlikely to “support the extent of vegetation loss” by clearing a much smaller area from Alderley Road and it “would need considerable refinement.” It also said it was unlikely to approve a strip being removed from King’s Gap to the lifeboat station due to “a high degree of loss of existing vegetation.”
As the council prepares for a final survey, the Echo spoke to people in Hoylake about their thoughts on the beach, the issues, and what happens next.
Robert Parry, walking with his wife Annette, said it’s only dog walkers who use the beach now, adding: “Every time we come it’s such a shame. Most of the locals do not want it. It’s a shame, there’s a lot of people who won’t talk about it because they are so upset. It’s dividing the community which is a shame.”
The beach could develop into sand dunes. Mr Parry said: “It would take 50 to 100 years and in the meantime we would have to look at this,” adding: “I would like to see it cleared and a bit more spent on Hoylake. There are plenty of places that are ecologically very good."
However he added: “There is less sand on the street after storms. That is one positive as it is holding together the sand from blowing onto the prom.” The Hoylake Beach Community who campaign for a cleared beach also argue netting they've installed stops sand too but this is disputed.
Annette Parry said: “It’s disgusting. It looks like an absolute mess. People take their dogs for walks beyond the vegetation now,” adding: “This is a beach. It has been for centuries and now it’s a bog.”
She also wants to see the beach cleared, adding: “Even if it was a smallish area, it would be a positive but it’s got to be bigger than the area they are proposing. It’s encroaching down into Meols now, for me it’s a shame.”
People said there have been other issues caused by the vegetation such as a friend falling over twice on the slipways and not being able to go outside at a 70th birthday party due to mosquitoes. Others said people go to West Kirby more now and avoid Hoylake.
Some also said dog walkers more regularly leave behind any faeces in the vegetation. Kay Cullen lives in Hoylake said: “That is what it has become by the way, it’s become a dog’s toilet.”
She added: “You are in the wrong place for a beach so you can see my opinion. To be fair I understand both points of view but I think there should be a compromise. I think it should be both.
“It needs to be safe. In the summer holidays, I have never seen it so empty. It can’t be good for the visitors and businesses. At the moment, it looks an absolute disgrace and I can’t see any improvement in wildlife.”
Emma Hill, also from Hoylake, said: “I know people have pretty strong opinions, it does divide opinion but I do not have really strong views either way.
“I have a friend who thinks the decisions so far have been good ones and also friends who think it’s an eyesore. I think if there were some plans put in place so that people could walk on the beach, that would make a difference.”
Anthony Reid said he thought the beach looked terrible but added: “Hybrid is better than nothing but if you look at the beach, it’s not teaming with wildlife. I would understand it more if it was
"At the moment it’s just unusable. In summer it can be quite damp still so anything that would give a bit of it back I would support but my preference would be to do the whole thing."
Like many who spoke to the Echo, he said: “I must admit I would make use of it more, just to bring out some camping chairs and come with some mates. I just come here to walk the dogs. I think I would go a lot more than I do now.”
A Wirral Council spokesperson said: “Work has been ongoing over the last 12 months to develop the two options agreed by the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee for the future management of Hoylake beach.
“This has involved working closely with Natural England and Merseyside Environmental Advisory Service to ensure that the details within those developing options are acceptable to Natural England. That process, in turn, necessitated the development of Habitat Regulations Assessments – informed by a new botanical survey that was conducted over the summer – and applications for assent. We are now at the point where further public consultation is set to take place early in 2024.”
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