North Somerset Council will on Tuesday 16 September consider the future of the restoration of the Birnbeck Pier structure and the major funding gap placing that element of the project at jeopardy.
Councillors will discuss a report which contains an update following the decision made by RNLI headquarters at the end of June to withdraw from the project, and with it reversal of their previous commitment to provide £5.5m funding towards the pier restoration. Despite efforts to secure replacement funding, the gap remains.
The council has considered all options, including whether a reduced cost scheme could be delivered, if the council itself could fund the gap or whether further external funding could be found. The report states that two new funding bids have been submitted, and councillors would be updated should either of those prove successful prior to the meeting.
The restoration of the structure of Birnbeck Pier is separate to other phases of work, including the physical work on the landside. The important landside phase – made possible thanks to funding from the UK government – will therefore continue. This includes restoring historic buildings, providing essential services and infrastructure to the site and replacing broken railings.
Image - Birnbeck Pier
Councillor Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s cabinet member responsible for the Birnbeck Pier project, said: “Birnbeck Pier is a unique treasure – Grade II* Listed and the only pier in the country that links to an island. Our ambition to restore the pier remains undimmed, but the current funding gap has slowed our immediate progress.
“Following the decision by RNLI headquarters to withdraw, we’ve continued to work hard in partnership with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Historic England, to identify solutions to progress with the restoration of the pier structure. We have spoken directly to central government, had strong support from the local MP, Dan Aldridge, and other potential investment partners.
“Failing a new funding commitment coming forward in the next few days, it is with genuine regret and disappointment that the report going before full council will see the effective closure of the project to restore Birnbeck Pier for now. Simply put, we have been unable to fill the £5.5m funding gap left by the RNLI, so cannot move forward.
“We’ll continue to seek solutions and hope to find an answer at some point in the future. The benefits of restoration are clear – new jobs and skills, stronger cultural and economic life in Weston, and pride in a heritage that belongs to us all. Delivering this restoration remains a transformative opportunity, and we must avoid further deterioration of such a nationally significant site. All the benefits are fully backed up by an independent business case report for the scheme and by the national heritage organisations who support us and the project.
“We know that councillors, officers, partners and members of our community have invested time, energy and emotion into this project over the years. Local people, including the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust and Friends of the Old Pier Society, have been hugely important to the campaign to save the pier. I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone involved for all that they have done. I’d particularly like to thank our project partners and contractors for their perseverance and flexibility while we’ve worked together to explore every avenue to fund and deliver this project. It is that passion that gives me confidence that Birnbeck will rise again.”
More information is available in the report published today (Monday 8 September) on the council’s website.
To find out more about the project, visit the council’s website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/BirnbeckPierProject.
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