Will urban beaches become the norm in Britain?
With two city beaches being planned in cities in Britain this summer, in Birmingham and Bristol, more may be tempted to follow their example, citing the success of similar ventures in European cities. So far nothing is planned for London, although the idea was mooted for the Thames at Bermondsey Beach last year, until Southwark council rejected the plans. Beach at Chamberlain Sq: Proposed urban beach at Chamberlaind Square in Birmingham
The implications of installing large expanses of sand in an urban setting have considerable urban design implications – and have already brought criticism in Birmingham from the Civic Society and others.
The beach will be created in Chamberlain Square in the heart of Birmingham’s civic quarter. A partnership between the Council and bmibaby, it will run from Monday 25 June until Sunday 16 September and will be open to the public between 10.30am and 7pm daily.
Chamberlain Square, dating from 1885, is one of a growing number of public spaces that now form a pedestrian area through the city centre. The Chamberlain Memorial Fountain is central with the Grade 2* listed Museum and Art Gallery behind, as well as a statue of Thomas Attwood. The Square is also bordered by a number of civic buildings including Birmingham Central Library, the Birmingham Conservatoire and the Town Hall.
Birmingham Civic Society says the scheme is totally inappropriate for a historic square. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, a spokesman for the Society warned also that the square will become ‘awash with detritus’ within weeks of opening. The Leader of Birmingham City Council, Mike Whitby, countered by saying that the square will be filled with palm trees and will be a ‘place to repose … most importantly a place to chill out and re-energise in Birmingham City Centre. The buildings may have some competition,’ he added, saying that successful urban beaches take place in Paris, Rome, Berlin and Amsterdam, cities all confident enough to have a beach within their centres.
Birmingham Council ran a smaller beach last year at a less sensitive site, an area currently undergoing regeneration at Millennium Point. The new beach, sponsored by airline bmibaby, is being marketed as an attraction with a programme of events including volleyball and beach cricket, and ballet and opera beamed live onto a Big Screen.
In Bristol, a commercial company is applying for planning permission to create ‘Democracy Beach’ along a stretch of the city’s floating harbour. The area is currently undergoing redevelopment, part of regeneration in the city now spreading eastwards along its waterway. Demos are promoting the venture as a green concept ‘It will be a ‘beach within reach’, an alternative to flying or driving long distances for sun and sand. The sourcing, use and after-use of all materials will be designed for high and visible sustainability.
Demos says that 'through partnering with local green enterprises the Beach will provide a high profile platform to showcase and develop Bristol’s green entrepreneurs and build awareness of sustainable living practices among beach goers.’ A spokesman for Bristol City Council said that there was little opposition to the scheme in principle, but said that the proposals would not come before the planning committee until June, which will mean the project would not be able to open until late August at the earliest this year.
Beach in Paris Plage
In Europe, urban beaches are now becoming established. Paris Plage attracted some 3 million people last year. The beach is a six-week summer initiative, in which a three kilometre stretch of road along the right bank of the Seine, which normally speeds traffic through the centre of Paris, is closed. The tarmac is covered by a beach made out of 3,000 tons of sand. On top are placed 300 deck chairs with 240 parasols.
The Paris Plage first opened for the summer in 2002, and was an immediate success. A 28-metre swimming pool was installed in 2004 after complaints that there was nowhere to cool off properly during August's heatwave. The Paris beach doesn't come cheap, however, costing around two million euros (£1.3m), most of it paid by commercial sponsors.
In terms of architecture and urban design, city beaches are a new departure, in that they act to blur the traditional separation between business and leisure activities. The sight of a stretch of sand and deckchairs next to an office building may still look incongruous. And should city fountains remain off limits or not for reasons of 'city image' as well as safety?
Beach in Paris Plage
The concept has been taken further in America, where the Dundas Beach in Toronto is open 24 hours a day, and is unfenced. See also the Harbourfront concept in the same city. The sophisticated splash fountain at Dundas Beach features 600 spray nozzles that shoot water straight up through stainless steel grilles set right in the middle of the main walkway. The nozzles rise and fall in unison, like the waves on a beach, so there are times when the water level is low enough for children to also play in the water.
The Dundas Square fountains are maintained to a high quality of cleanliness ("pool water or better" standards, according to the maintainers of the facility) because, unlike most city centre fountains, these were designed for waterplay, in addition to their architectural beauty and effect – masking the noise of the surrounding city. Special nonslip granite slabs were installed to ensure the safety of children and adults alike who splash in the water.
It, too, has its detractors. Criticism ranges from suggestions that the city has missed an opportunity for sorely needed green space to questions of what the true intent behind the ostensibly public square is, and issues over the privatisation of public space. Numerous groups, from the Toronto Public Space Committee, to organisers of Toronto iterations of the Reclaim The Streets phenomenon, often point to the Square as exemplifying a negative trend in urban planning.
