Birnbeck Pier restoration work worth nearly £5m begins in 'red letter day' for Weston-super-Mare
ITV News' Richard Payne sent this report from Birnbeck Pier
Work to restore a dilapidated pier on the Somerset coast has begun - after years of fundraising and legal arguments.
Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare is now owned by North Somerset Council and contractors headed on-site on Tuesday 8 October to assess the scale of the project.
It's been more than a quarter of a century since anything happened on the Grade II-listed landmark, so the arrival of a handful of people in orange overalls was a milestone moment.
It took £400,000 from the RNLI to secure ownership for the council last year and the lifeboat charity will spend millions more to return to its original home on a long-term lease.
It will feature a cafe and visitor centre on shore and the lifeboat station off it. The derelict wooden bridge to the island will be transformed.
The work will begin with:
asbestos removal
repair of the sea walls
stabilising work to the 1888 boathouse
installation of security fencing and provision of welfare facilities.
It's being funded by £4.47m from the Government, formerly known as the Levelling Up Fund.
A planning application for the pier itself was submitted by the RNLI in September 2024 and a separate planning application for the creation of a new lifeboat station on the island is due to be submitted soon.
Work is planned to start later this year on the land-side buildings to enable them to reopen to the public in 2025.
Councillor Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s executive member responsible for the Birnbeck Pier project, said: "This is a red-letter day for Weston-super-Mare.
"Many years’ significant effort has led to this. Hard work not just from the council but the many people within our local community, including the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust and the Friends of the Old Pier Society.
"I must of course acknowledge and thank the UK government who are funding this element of the project.
"I hope that physical work starting on site will silence those who may have thought that this day would never come!
"I urge everyone to get behind this fantastic project and show their support for restoring this site of significant importance to our country’s heritage, and which will once again be of significant economic benefit to the town and wider area."
Peter Stenner, Managing Director of Teignmouth Maritime Services, said: "We’re delighted to have been entrusted by North Somerset Council to deliver the first stage of work within the prestigious Birnbeck Pier project.
"We look forward to continuing our working relationship with the council.
"The project will be delivered by one of our most experienced marine civil engineering teams with an impressive track record for successfully delivering island-based projects throughout the UK."