National Coastwatch Institution: Maritime charity seeks to keep ‘life-saving’ trailer on Yorkshire coast

The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) is seeking permission for its coastal mobile trailer to be located on Filey’s Royal Parade for another two years.

Since opening its doors in July 2022, the NCI Filey station has become “an integral part of the Filey search and rescue community” according to the planning application.

The NCI station provides a base for watchkeepers whose role is to be the “eyes and ears along the coast” providing an accurate picture of events to help speed up rescue operations. The operations centre enables watchkeepers to “spot, plot, and report incidents” to HM Coastguard and other search and rescue organisations.

It provides clear and unobstructed views of Filey Bay in order to identify potentially dangerous situations. If approved, it would be placed on the South Filey promenade for up to two more years. The unit’s power is generated using a wind turbine and solar panels and it also has a diesel-powered heater.

The organisation started local operations two years ago with just two qualified watchkeepers but has since expanded and now has twenty additional volunteer watchkeepers.

In that time it has initiated 12 incidents, one of which the RNLI recorded as “lives saved at sea” and commended the duty watchkeepers for their diligent work. The charity is also aiming to provide daylight watchkeeping services 365 days a year.

NCI Filey said its eventual objective was the “procurement of a more substantive building and location to operate from” to enhance its operational capabilities and contribution towards sea safety.

It added: “An extension of our current planning authority would certainly afford us the time required to develop our ideas and raise the necessary funding to fully meet all our original objectives.”

The proposal is currently pending consideration with the local planning authority.