Shifting Sands, a new report from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and English Heritage (EH), reveals how design excellence, innovation and the revival of historical areas lie at the centre of re-establishing the confidence of English seaside towns.

The English seaside no longer has the place it did in the nation’s affections in the 1960s when visits to the coast accounted for 75 per cent of all domestic holiday trips. The past 25 years have seen a drop in staying visits to the English seaside from 32 million to 22 million.

However, the report – through more than 15 case studies – illustrates the impact that high quality buildings and open spaces can have on the way that historic resorts are re-inventing themselves.

In Southport, a steel, glass and aluminium pavilion has been added to the pier in the form of a ship moored alongside and which moves independently of the pier in rough weather. In Whitby, huge challenges were overcome to create a new visitor centre from a ruined 17th century house.

Elsewhere, a seafood stall in Folkestone has been rebuilt to create a modern interpretation of a traditional seaside building and in Eastbourne the above ground structures of a water treatment plant have been built to resemble a Napoleonic fort, fitting in with other buildings along the seafront.

CABE chief executive, Jon Rouse, said: "The report demonstrates how seaside towns need to recapture the design excellence and innovation of our Victorian forebears. Where are the modern equivalents of Blackpool’s iconic Tower or Brighton’s majestic Royal Pavilion?"

He continued: "There are lots of examples of good new buildings and spaces but there is still room for bigger, better and more inventive schemes that recapture the past glories of the English seaside resort."

A series of seminars to accompany the report will take place in Newquay, Cleethorpes, Great Yarmouth, Morecambe and Bournemouth later in the year. Details: www.cabe.org.uk