West Hoe Pier repairs likely to cost near £1m
Scaffolding surrounding the pier was pulled away by waves at the weekend due to gale force winds.
The cost of emergency and repair work to Plymouth’s Grade II West Hoe Pier is likely to be just shy of £1 million.
Phase 2 of the work to reinstate the pier and steps where the outer wall collapsed as a result of Storm Bram last December will begin once listed building consent is approved.
Scaffolding surrounding the pier was pulled away by waves at the weekend due to gale force winds.
Plymouth City Council said contractors “reacted very quickly” and removed the structure and it would be rebuilt this week.
Emergency repairs following Storm Bram involved over 300 tonnes of concrete being poured into the heart of the pier closing the large hole that appeared. The cost was in the region of £422,000
Strengthening work was already underway before this as the pier construction composed of mixed mass stone had become gradually washed out over decades.
Phase 2 will include removing defective grout which has reacted adversely with saltwater and caused internal expansion and structural failure.
Other aspects of the programme include
- Excavation and investigation of voids and structurally compromised areas
- Working within the existing pier walls, comprising dressed stone facing, traditional rubble stone backing
- Recovering displaced historic face stones from the seabed
- Dismantling and reconstructing face stonework in three areas
- Reinstating masonry using salvaged original stone wherever possible
- Using modern inert grout at lower levels and fibre-reinforced concrete infill at higher levels to stabilise the pier core
- Reconstructing existing stone steps, including structural pinning and anchoring into the pier
The council said it did yet have the costs of these planned works but they were likely to exceed the cost of the emergency repairs.
Councillors came under fire from the public for not obtaining listed building consent for phase 1 of the repair works but Heritage England said it was not generally required for like-for-like repairs to listed structures.
“It is the responsibility of the local planning authority, in this case Plymouth City Council, to determine whether consent is required,” it said at the time.
PCC said this week: “Listed building consent was always intended to be sought as part of phase 2, as phase 1 was investigative and would inform the nature of the later repairs under phase 2.
“The heritage team were consulted and engaged on this approach which is why a listed building consent application has been submitted recently in advance of the phase 2 works commencing.”
It added that the work was “complicated” and significant excavation would be required. “Sequencing of the works is important as the pier is narrow restricting who can work when,” said the council.
Responding to the scaffolding incident at the weekend the council added that strong winds, unusual for June, with the near due west direction meant at high tide the waves hooked into the harbour and pulled the scaffold off the pier.
“Contractors JNE and Scafftec reacted very quickly and removed the scaffold structure,” it said.
“Scaffolding in such locations is always at risk due to the exposed location. The unusual wind strength and the wind direction exacerbated the power of the waves in the harbour.
“The contractors reported the incident to the HSE as a reportable incident as soon as the situation occurred.
It was pointed out that the pier work was not the only thing affected by the unseasonable conditions – “the last day of the Cornwall Show was cancelled for instance.”
West Hoe Pier forms part of Plymouth’s historic coastal infrastructure and contributes to the area’s significance as a designed seafront landscape of national importance.
Built in the 1880s, the structure has been subject to many repairs over the years because of damage caused by the waves.
A heritage statement submitted as part of the listed building application says: “Without intervention, the pier will continue to deteriorate, leading to greater harm and potential loss of the asset.”
Council leader Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) signed a delegated decision in March to borrow £7 million to fix the crumbling West Hoe pier and sort out other critical building repairs in the city.
However the council indicated that future repairs could be funded by the sale of its assets like the 16th Century Merchants House and the Pounds House mansion in Central Park, the latter of which sold for half a million pounds last October.