Clubs' delight at St Annes beach sports centre plan

Fylde Council has announced a two-phase plan which will see the development of a beach sports centre at the resort’s North Beach.

It would be a venue for clubs to host events and tuition, with a café for beachgoers, as well as being a base for the Council’s coastal and countryside ranger service.

Using the former Trax property as a basis, the proposal is to renovate the building, at an envisaged cost of £200,000, to offer visitors and residents a place to enjoy the thrills of beach sports in a safe and managed environment.

“This is really exciting,” said Ian Dibdin, president of the St Annes Land Yacht Club who is a former sandyachting champion.

“St Annes was once the leading sandyachting venue in the country, attracting international participants, and with these facilities, it could be up there again.

“There is so much potential and we are grateful to Fylde Council for this development.”

Sandyachting was banned from St Annes for 10 years after the death of a beach goer following a collision with a craft in 2002 and the sport has only been held intermittently since.

The land yachts are a slower variation on the sandyachts.

The wide expanse of beach is also home to St Annes Kitesurfing Club.

Pat May, the club’s chairman, who was involved in founding St Annes Kite Festival in 2012, said: “It is a really exciting time.

“We have one of the best beaches for kite flying and sand yachting in Europe.

“Kite surfers come to St Annes from all over the country so it will bring tourism to the town.

“They will stay in hotels and B&Bs, and spend money locally. It is a massively growing sport.”

Fylde Council says the first phase of the development will focus on the refurbishment of the existing facilities, designating a space for a commercially operated café, and establishing a multi-purpose room for events and initiatives hosted by clubs or the ranger service.

The second phase will explore environmentally friendly enhancements.

Coun Michael Sayward, chairman of Fylde Council’s tourism and leisure committee, said: “St Annes can proudly claim to have some of the best beachfront in the UK for kitesurfing, and we aim to make full use of this potential to the benefit of the community while providing a welcoming place for visitors.”

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