The creative rehabilitation, protection and development of cultural and natural landscapes and townscapes through integrated spatial planning.

The central aim of the North SEAfaring project was to raise the status of maritime heritage in regional and national spatial planning strategies. Hence the project referred to a creative rehabilitation, protection and development of cultural and natural landscapes and townscapes. This was accomplished through integrated spatial planning, with a focus on seafaring heritage.

The North SEAfaring project combined maritime heritage with regional and national spatial planning strategies by innovative solutions and ideas bringing together spatial planners and maritime heritage people.

The main achievement was that local planners from each project side, acknowledged the importance of maritime heritage in the development of their work. Therefore, spatial strategies including heritage protection measures were developed in all of the participating regions and towns.

Another final outcome is represented by reconstruction of historic maritime heritage sites in the North Sea Region, which serve as tourist attractions and support economic development.

As a social aspect both young people and unemployed were directly involved in the reconstruction. The project has also had a positive effect and benefit on the environment. Through the development of integrated spatial strategies respecting the local environment, it also led to improvements in the environment through the creative rehabilitation of derelict sites and wasteland.

North Sea Faring should enable dissemination of the spatial material, the raising of heritage concerns and potential solutions. All partners will continue to promote the project material and contact network within their broader spheres of influence, from national government levels to community interfaces.

The developed guidelines and examples are used as primers and toolkits for innovative North Sea spatial planning on local, regional and transnational level.

Project partners:

Colchester Borough Council (lead)

• Maritieme Site Oostende, BE
• Autonoom Gemeentbedrijf Haven Oostende, BE
• City of Emden, DE
• Province of Noord-Holland, NL
• Stichting Industrieel Engoedbank 'De Hoop', NL
• Province of Zeeland, NL
• Excelsior Trust, UK
• Waveney District Council, NL
• Dundee City Council, UK