Widening the Footpath at Rossall Beach

The Wyre Beach Management Scheme is a major £40m+ coastal defence project, funded by the Environment Agency. As the beach works near completion, the final stage is the proposed widening of the footpath at Rossall Beach. The aim is to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists and a better environment.

The project team has submitted an amendment to the original planning application to cover these works. The reference is 26/00275/LMAJ and you can view it online here

The Wyre Beach Management Scheme

The completed beach works to construct rock armour protection and new rock groynes will better protect 11,000 properties and infrastructure against flooding and erosion. Wyre Council is delivering the Wyre Beach Management Scheme at Cleveleys, in partnership with Balfour Beatty.

All about the Wyre Beach Management Scheme, at Cleveleys and Fleetwood, here

• Phase One works first saw the construction of the works compound at Jubilee Gardens. Then construction of rock armour toe protection at Rossall Beach, Cleveleys.

• Phase Two works at Cleveleys involve the construction of rock groynes from Kingsway (the Wyre boundary with Blackpool). The new groyne field extends to the recently completed Rossall Coastal Defence Scheme at Westway, Fleetwood.
• Phase two also includes toe protection and groynes at Fleetwood. This begins at the north end of the Rossall Coastal Defence Scheme and continues to the boating lakes at the seafront. There was a satellite compound for this part of the works, at the Sea Cadets car park.
• The final works at the beach are to widen the footpath toward the beach-wards side. This is at Rossall and North Promenades, between the hump in the road and the gate opposite The Venue car park.
• Lastly, the compound will be demobilised and Jubilee Gardens reinstated.

Widening the Footpath at Rossall Beach

Proposals are to widen the promenade footpath, between the rear flood wall adjacent to the highway and the short recurve wall against the beach. The works will extend from the hump in the road (where the parking area begins) extending south to the gate in the wall opposite the end of The Venue car park.

All the works are to the beach-wards side. The grey wall which runs parallel to the highway at Rossall and North Promenades remains untouched.

Anyone who walks along this stretch of coastline will know that this is a pinch-point at the seafront. Here, the footpath isn’t wide enough for the volume of people who use it. It’s also part of an official Sustrans Cycle route and popular with serious and casual bikers. Coupled with prams, mobility scooters and dog walkers, it’s simply not wide enough. Add the poor drainage of the footpath (and the huge ponds which form as a result) and you can see why it’s being improved.

Footpath Widening Plans

This is the aerial view, taken from the planning application. We’ve highlighted the affected area with yellow shading.

This new footpath won’t just be practical, it will also look much nicer too. The outer wall uses pre-cast units, with a coping unit to match those in the parking area, to make an upstand against the beach.

Here’s a typical cross section – the pink area is the extent of the new-build.

• To prepare, the top of the bullnose of the old wall needs breaking away, leaving it level with the existing footpath.
• First, they’ll move the beach material to one side to expose the sloping concrete of the old wall.
• Then a level, solid base will be cast over it with ready-mix concrete. This forms a firm foundation for the new external wall.
• New pre-cast wall units are next lifted onto the new base and secured in place.
• With it all stable and solid, the void between the old low wall and the new will be backfilled.
• Finally, a new footpath surface goes over the top.

Newly formed steps, made with pre-cast units, will replace the existing. There’s a proposal to add an additional set of access steps, just to the south of the top of Thornton Gate. Here’s a typical cross section of how they’d be built.

Timescales

With the planning application passed in a timely manner, the work will begin in September 2026. This timing is to avoid the peak summer season and expected to take around five months to complete.

The existing compound at Jubilee Gardens car park will be the base for equipment and materials.

See the Wyre Beach Management Scheme come to Life

Over on the Visit Fylde Coast YouTube channel we’ve been documenting the progress of the Wyre Beach Management Scheme. Along with hundreds of films on all kinds of local subjects you’ll find a playlist of all the beach works videos. This is the most recent one –

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Want to know more about the scheme? Don’t forget you can call into The Venue on Thursday mornings between 9am and 12 noon to speak to Jane Littlewood, Public Liaison Officer for the scheme. Jane is available to answer any questions or concerns you have regarding the project. Email jane@therabbitpatch.co.uk or phone 07932 143431.