Councillor promises it's "not the end" of Birnbeck Pier restoration
The RNLI pulled out of the project in June
The leader of North Somerset Council has insisted that the RNLI pulling out of the restoration of Birnbeck Pier is “not the end” of the project.
The lifeboat charity had been funding major parts of the project in order to return its Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station to Birnbeck Island — but pulled out at the end of June over viability concerns. The loss of North Somerset Council’s main partner in the project has thrown the future of Birnbeck Pier into doubt once again.
Council leader Mike Bell (Weston-super-Mare Central, Liberal Democrat) told councillors the RNLI decision was “disappointing and frustrating for everyone involved.” He said: “The RNLI have been an important partner and we did not expect this decision so late in the process. But I just want to reassure everyone that this is not the end of the Birnbeck project — it is just a new challenge for us to overcome.”
Mr Bell was speaking at a council meeting on July 8 where councillors had been due to vote on awarding the contract for restoring the bridge to JT Mackley & Co Ltd — but instead the report had to be withdrawn at the meeting after the RNLI pulled out. The RNLI had been a major partner and had given North Somerset Council the £400k to buy the pier in 2023. It was due to fund the restoration of the bridge out to the island with £5.25m. But this did not pass a viability review conducted shortly before the meeting.
At the meeting, Mr Bell said: “We are determined to try and keep the show on the road and I want to thank the other funders for their continued commitment and support for the project: the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and the UK government. Today we also met with the local MP Dan Aldridge who continues to be a champion for the project and he has agreed to explore avenues for any national funding from the UK government that may be open to us.”
Other parts of the project such as the restoration of the landside buildings will continue. These works, funded by the Levelling Up Fund will see the pier master’s cottage — which stands by the start of the walkway on the shore — get a new cafe extension with large windows and a balcony facing out to the pier. A shop will be located in the building itself. Alongside repairs to the building, architects are also planning to recreate the bell cote which once stood on the roof. A separate toilet block will also be built.
Mr Bell said there would be “visible progress” on this part of the project in the weeks ahead. Despite the RNLI pulling out of the plans to restore the pier, Mr Bell said that he had met with its chief executive last week about the future of its lifeboat station in the town. He said: “We all agree that protecting lives at sea must remain a priority and we will keep exploiting options for a new permanent lifeboat base in the years ahead.”
The RNLI’s plans had been to turn the ruined pavilion on Birnbeck Island into a new state of the art lifeboat station, to allow it to launch from the island once again. Since 2014, Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station has been based out of temporary storage containers next to the Marine Lake since the pier had become too unsafe.
In a statement over its withdrawal from the plans on June 27, the RNLI CEO Peter Sparkes said that the RNLI did not have confidence in the funding and contractual structure to deliver the project to competition or maintain the pier. He said: “It is with regret that we have come to this decision but as a charity, our donors give us their money in trust, and we have a duty of care to spend this money in a way that enables us to save lives for many years to come.”
At the council meeting on July 8, Mr Bell told councillors: “Birnbeck Pier has been part of Weston’s story for over 150 years. Generations of local families have walked on its boards, enjoyed its views, and felt proud that this landmark belonged to our town.
“That pride is exactly why two years ago the councils stepped in and took ownership of Birnbeck after decades of neglect under private ownership. Since then we have secured more than £20m in finding from national partners and in just two years we have made more progress than in the last three decades under private ownership. We have undertaken emergency work, completed surveys, secured planning consent and started work on restoring some of the historic buildings.”
He said: “The commitment is still to try and see Birnbeck Pier and island restored and reopened as a place that belongs to all of us in the community. We have come too far to turn back now and together we will continue to strive to get this done.”