It’s being proposed that two sections of land on Swanage’s seafront in Dorset, should lose their charitable status to allow Swanage Town Council to spend millions saving the area from further land slippage.
Due to technical legal issues, the charity-owned land at Sandpit Field and Weather Station Field needs to be transferred to the council before it can spend money in its reserves to stabilise the area, sometimes referred to as the Green Seafront.
There’s a danger of land slippage along Swanage’s seafront
Council needs to resolve legal ownership issue
A public drop in meeting to learn more about the proposed land transfer – not the scheme itself – is to be held between 4.30 pm to 7pm on Tuesday 31st March 2026 at The Showbar in The Mowlem on Shore Road, Swanage.
Although Swanage Town Council owns both Sandpit Field and the Weather Station Field, it does so in its capacity as corporate trustee and cannot spend significant funds it has raised as a local authority on land with charitable status. This does not apply to the Spa beach hut area.
For many years, the council has been aware that the Green Seafront needs to be stabilised with nail pins after engineering reports showed that the land was slipping towards the sea and large visible cracks appeared in walls and pathways.
It’s intended for the work to begin in autumn 2027 but the council needs to resolve the legal status of the land before the money can be unlocked from the reserves, allowing the work to progress.
The weather station records Swanage’s micro climate
Essential and an enhanced scheme considered
Two schemes to stabilise the Green Seafront are under consideration – an essential scheme costing £4.5 million and a new enhanced scheme costing £6.9 million which will stop the land from slipping but also make it more accessible for those using wheelchairs and prams, expand the space for events by filling in Walrond Road, provide a new toilet block, and refurbish and extend the Spa beach hut area.
Sandpit Field was gifted to the town by the executors of Arthur Rainsford Mowlem in 1990. This land, together with the benefits of covenants on property across the De Moulham Estate, were registered as a charity in the mid 1990s.
Weather Station Field was given by John Ernest Mowlem to the former Swanage Urban District Council in 1924 together with three other small parcels of land and registered with the Charity Commission as the Gift of Public Pleasure Grounds Charity.
Sandpit Field is host to a variety of events including the Swanage Purbeck Rotary fete
“Council taking full ownership”
A Swanage Town Council spokesperson said:
“Neither charity has access to the funds necessary to stabilise the property. Therefore, one option being given serious consideration is the town council taking full ownership of the property, thereby removing its charitable status.
“The town council has sought guidance from the Charity Commission regarding the best way forward and is following the advice received.
“The town council has recently agreed to enter into a legally binding commitment to protect both Sandpit Field and the Weather Station Field as public open space, in addition to the protections provided through the policies contained in the Swanage Local Plan.
“Together this provides assurance to local residents that the removal of charitable status will not have any detrimental impact on the long-term future of these important green spaces.”
The Green Seafront is a popular alternative to the beach
Planning applications in progress
Swanage Town Council is preparing to submit planning applications soon for both the essential scheme and the new enhanced scheme.
The decision on which scheme will be chosen depends mainly on finances and it is not yet known when the decision will be made.
The town council says it is still aiming to start the stabilisation work in autumn 2027.
The Purbeck stone walls are in danger of collapse due to ground slippage
Further information
- More about the charitable trusts is on the Swanage Town Council website
