EUROPE’S first innovative beach check app developed to help beach-goers check busy beaches following a surge in visitors last summer is set to go national after being backed by central government.
Launched in July last year by BCP Council to help beach-goers comply with social distancing after visitors flocked to the coast in their thousands, the BCPBeachCheck app has now become Beach Check UK, funded by the Local Digital Collaboration Unit at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and available at a number of popular tourist destinations across the UK.
Providing a live traffic light system indicating busy areas (red), less busy areas (amber) and those areas with plenty of space available (green), the app is free to download and available from Google Play and the Apple App Store for anyone wanting to find their hot spot without the hotspot.
Cllr Philip Broadhead, Deputy Leader for BCP Council, said: “It is with tremendous pride that we can now formally announce that BCP Council is leading the way to promote much-needed technology, in an effort to encourage the public to keep themselves safe.”
Cllr Mohan Iyengar, Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Leisure and Culture, added: “The timing is great to have this Beach Check app for the start of summer. It’s free and easy to download and helps people find the right spots with less congestion. We’re also adding a lot more so that people can find parking places and toilets, places to eat and attractions on offer. It’s part of our offer to help people stay safe and have a great time.”
Local Government Minister Luke Hall MP said: “We want everyone to safely enjoy a well-deserved summer this year, while continuing to minimise the spread of the coronavirus.
“That’s why the Government is funding Europe’s first innovative beach check app to allow people to check whether beaches are busy before travelling to avoid a surge of visitors. This will allow coastal communities to carefully welcome back visitors and will help local areas bounce back from the hardship faced by the pandemic.”
The app has been widely promoted to other UK local authorities through the National Coastal Tourism Academy which continues to lead the relationship management to on-board those whose beaches would otherwise be affected by overcrowding.
Before setting off on your journey, all visitors are urged to plan ahead and travel safely; check before you travel and remember that transport services and roads are likely to be busier as we head into the warmer summer months.
More info:
- Launched in July 2020, the Beach Check app is the brainchild of BCP Council, designed using sophisticated technology to help manage over-crowding among its busy beaches.
- Each location where the app is operated will provide information specific to the data available. In some locations the new version will use camera feeds to determine the traffic light system across beaches and will include updates on car park availability. It is simple to use, free to download from Google Play and the Apple App Store and it allows users to check individual beaches or see a map showing red (crowded), amber (less congested) and green (uncongested) beaches.
- App data is supplied by a mix of sources. At the start of the day, a prediction is set for each zone, based on previous data, factoring in the date and weather to show how busy we forecast each zone will be. From mid-morning, beach management staff will update each section on a regular basis to reflect any changes in congestion observed. This is supplemented by CCTV and some footfall counters. Plans are underway to embed the app on coastal destination’s tourism webpages.
- The app has been funded by the government’s Local Digital Collaboration Unit at MHCLG, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which includes funding the launch and maintenance of the app in its first year at no cost to local authorities. The total funding secured for this development is £160,000.
- The beaches can be searched for individually as well as seen on a wider map. Where data is not available this will be indicated on the app or if any location is temporarily closed.
- Options allow the consumer to change the colour-codes of the beaches if required.
- Visit https://englandscoast.com/en/blog/beach-check-uk-app for more information.
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