Coastal gentrification: the coastification of St Leonards-on-Sea

This thesis advances knowledge of the diverse spatialities of gentrification by examining processes of change in coastal towns, drawing upon the case-study location of St Leonards-on-Sea, in the South East of England. Based on rich, empirical findings from semi-structured interviews, content analyses of local media sources, 2001 census data, and a household survey of 173 respondents, it is shown that processes of gentrification are unfolding in St Leonards. The findings suggest that it is beneficial to distinguish between coastal gentrification, and urban/rural gentrification. To emphasise this point, it is argued that there is merit in utilising the term coastification , in order to conceptualise the socio-cultural and economic transformations tied to in-migrants seeking the coastal idyll . The thesis disrupts some dominant theorisations of contemporary gentrification, identifying the presence of pioneer gentrifiers in a coastal town setting. It is contended that simply transferring the representations of urban gentrification to other socio-spatial locations along the urban-rural hierarchy is not a straightforward process. Therefore, gentrification-based regeneration policies should not be transferred in taken-for-granted ways from one location to another. A representation of coastification allows for a fuller appreciation of the effects of gentrification on coastal regeneration policies.