New Highcliffe Castle beach steps opened

The Mayor of Christchurch, Cllr David Flagg was joined by ward councillors and representatives of local residents’ associations to officially open the newly-revamped Highcliffe Castle beach steps.

Four new flights of wooden staircases have replaced worn sections. The top two sections, previously wooden staircases, were replaced with new like-for-like flights.

The middle section, previously a zigzag, was replaced with an all-wooden staircase, which now leads in a straight line down the cliff, eventually reaching the beach.

The Mayor said: “These new steps will not only be safer than the old ones, which were becoming costly to maintain, but they will also give a much shorter and quicker route to and from the beach now that the zigzag section has been removed.”

Joining the Mayor for the opening ceremony were ward councillors Cllr John Lofts and Cllr Myra Mawbey, council officers and representatives of Highcliffe Residents’ Association and Rothesay Drive Residents’ Association.