Plans are in the pipeline to undertake a comprehensive survey of the 19th century industrial coastal features of North Yorkshire.

Tees Archaeology are in the process of preparing a bid for Heritage Lottery funds to carry out the project and early discussions with the lottery are taking place.

Members of Hartlepool Borough Council's Town Management Portfolio Decision Schedule will meet tomorrow on Friday to discuss the plans.

In 1994, Cleveland County Archaeology Section and the Royal Commission for Historic Monuments, in conjunction with Durham and North Yorkshire County Council and the North York Moors National Park, carried out a major project of the North-East coast.

The project contained a survey of the coastline, as well as searches of documentary records, and identified a number of rapidly eroding small industrial harbours of which there is no detailed record.

A report to the meeting said; "From the 17th century onwards the North-East coast between Whitby and the Tees was heavily exploited by a number of extractive industries, particularly those associated with alum, jet and ironstone.

"In order to remove the minerals and bring in supplies for the various processes, small harbours were constructed on the foreshore to serve the workings.

"The majority of the workings and their harbours had gone out of use by the end of the 19th century and most are absent from ordnance survey maps.

"Set against the threats of tides and eroding cliffs there is little which can be done to ensure the in-situ preservation of these sites. The only relevant approach is to undertake a record while significant features still exist."

The project would take a full record of the physical remains, identifying their period and extent of use, the vessel types using them and the industries which served them.

The information would then be analysed to identify common features.

Tees Archaeology is being urged to bid for £250,000 to employ a field survey team for two years. The bid also includes the cost of a global positional satellite to survey the coastal zone.