by John Prince
A new surveillance camera potentially capable of preventing future tragedies at sea is set to be installed at the Pier Towers on Withernsea seafront.
The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) based in Hornsea has received the necessary legal permissions following lengthy proposals.
The plans for a 360-degree camera have been formally approved by East Riding Council, but the actual licence that gives landowner consent for the works has not yet been completed. At the moment that paperwork is being finalised.
The camera system will be run by NCI, and any incidents reported immediately to the appropriate agencies such as HM Coastguard to respond.
The focus would be on prevention, with the aim to keep people safe through proactive monitoring.
The towers are at the site of the tragedy in January that claimed the lives of Sarah and Grace Keeling and Mark Ratcliffe.
Following some administrative hurdles, the breakthrough for NCI came at the beginning of this month when final permissions were granted, clearing the way for the project to proceed.
The remaining steps are finalising technical details and raising the necessary funds for the equipment.
An image of the planned position of the camera shows it mounted on the left tower as you look towards the sea.
It would be a wall-mounted PTZ camera with a remote connection back to NCI by a 5G router, which could monitor activity both towards the water and towards the road.
The system comes with a price tag of over £9,000.
Discussions are in the early stages with Withernsea Town Council, and a fundraising campaign has been started by NCI Hornsea to raise the money.
Kath Robson Jervois, NCI Hornsea station manager, said: “It’s been a lot of hard work. I’ve actually got the lease ready and we’re just waiting for the wiring diagram from our engineer.
“It’s almost over the line. We just need to start fundraising now.”
Cllr Kristina Richardson, mayor of Withernsea, said: “We are incredibly fortunate to have services such as HM Coastguard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, whose volunteers and staff work tirelessly to protect people and keep our coastline safe.
“I believe the camera can be a valuable addition to these existing services and, with potential changes to operating structures currently being considered, working together has never been more important.
“One of my mayoral objectives is coastal community safety, and provided we implement this correctly, it has the potential to add real value to our existing arrangements, while further enhancing the safety of our coastline and community.”
Kath also outlined a longer-term possibility for NCI to have a presence in Withernsea as it does in Hornsea, and bring the two towns together as part of the wider sea family.
“We’ve talked about trying to recruit people from Withernsea for NCI, with the aim of setting up a satellite station, but that won’t be for another two or three years.
“The nearest station to ourselves looking south is Cleethorpes, and Cleethorpes can’t see round Spurn Point. We can only see so far down from where we are.
“Having a station in Withernsea would enhance our visibility. We should be able to see from Kilnsea up to Aldbrough, which increases our range from Hornsea all the way down to Spurn.”
The Gazette contacted HM Coastguard, but it declined to comment.
The National Coastwatch Institution is a registered charity. To donate, or to get more details about fundraising for the camera system, visit nci.org.uk for more information.