Sand dune restoration at Victoria Road
Construction began in winter 2024 and will continue until approximately March 2026, during which period, the Victoria Road beach and car park will be closed. The Lifeboat Road car park will remain open but with limited spaces. A traffic management plan is being developed. To enjoy the beach, visitors are being asked to consider visiting Ainsdale, Southport, or Crosby beaches.
National Trust Formby secured planning permission in 2024 to revitalise the fragile sand dune ecosystem at Victoria Road. This landmark decision will see the removal of unsightly rubble and the creation of a thriving habitat for rare wildlife such as natterjack toads and sand lizards. Visitors can also look forward to a safer and more enjoyable experience at this cherished coastal location. The removed materials will be repurposed to build a new car park further inland.
Bringing Nature Back to Formby
This restoration project will reconnect the sand dunes, allowing them to naturally shift and evolve. They will be closely monitoring the area and providing support as needed to encourage the growth of marram grass and the formation of new dunes.
The aerial view opposite outlines the restoration area and new car park location. We've worked closely with experts to develop a plan that balances conservation and visitor enjoyment.
National Trust have partnered with Natural England Dynamic Dunescapes for this project. To learn more visit:
Why Formby's Sefton Coastline is so Important
Formby is one of the biggest sand dune systems in England as well as the fastest changing stretches of coastline under the National Trust’s care. It is nationally protected site and designated special scientific interest as one of the few that is still constantly dynamic and shifting. Invariably added to its importance, these coastal sand dune habitats are a sanctuary for special plants, insects, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The Sefton Coast specifically is home to 40% of the UK's population of rare natterjack toads which breed in the dune pools, also known as wet slacks.
Sand dunes need to be free to move. This movement is what creates the habitats that rare species such as natterjack toads and sand lizards need to thrive. Areas of naturally shifting, mobile sand are essential, but some of Formby's sand dunes have become too stable and disconnected. Dense scrub vegetation has taken over, and unnatural elements, including old construction rubble and tobacco waste, dumped between the 1950s and 1970s in the Victoria Road area of the dunes, is blocking natural sand movement and creating a nutrient rich compost. Over time a dense blanket of rank vegetation has taken over.
As part of the Dynamic Dunescapes UK-wide project, the rangers at Formby will be giving nature a helping hand to restore rare dune habitats and bring new life to its sand dunes. The vision is to create space for sand to move more freely, which will restore natural processes and create healthier habitats for many important and rare species. The team is using tried and tested conservation techniques to restore rare sand dune habitats, including:
- Making notches or gaps in sand dunes where barriers have been created to natural processes.
- Restoring and creating new natterjack toad breeding pools to give this rare amphibian the best opportunity to increase their declining population.
- Removing invasive scrub such as sea buckthorn and Japanese rose (rosa rugosa) to create space for rare species to thrive.
- Creating corridors where the sand dunes meet the woodlands to help these special habitats coexist
