Dilapidated Birnbeck Pier to be saved and transformed with new lifeboat station

Efforts to restore a Victorian pier to its former glory have taken a “massive step forward” with a new agreement to secure its future.

The private owner of the historic Grade II-listed structure has agreed to sell up to North Somerset Council and the RNLI, who plan to renovate the now dilapidated landmark at Weston-super-Mare and build a new lifeboat station.

The news follows many years of uncertainty over the future of Birnbeck Pier and – once the extensive works are complete – will mean members of the public can go on the pier for the first time since 1994 when it was closed for safety reasons.

One of only six Grade II-listed piers surviving in the country, the pier designed by engineer Eugenius Birch connects the mainland below the Prince Consort Gardens to Birnbeck Island. It first opened to the public in 1866 and has gone on to weather many storms and has been included on Historic England’s ‘at ‘risk’ register for some time.

North Somerset Council has been working to secure the future of the pier and threatened to issue the owners with a compulsory purchase order (CPO) in early 2020 before announcing in June 2020 that the RNLI was seeking to move life-saving operations back to the site.

Speaking this week, Mark Canniford of North Somerset Council, said: “Thanks to the huge amount of work behind the scenes, we have finally reached this significant milestone and taken a massive step towards restoring Birnbeck.

“The private owner has agreed to sell the pier to the council, and we are keen to acquire Birnbeck as soon as possible. I am delighted that we have been able to avoid the CPO process, which would have been overly complex and time-consuming.

“Together with the RNLI and Historic England, we have found a solution that will allow us to renovate this stunning piece of Victorian architecture, bring the RNLI back to their original home and welcome the public onto the pier again. There’s a great deal of work to do but this is the start of us finally being able to begin plans to restore this treasured site.”

The “significant programme of works” needed to renovate the pier and provide a new lifeboat station will be phased over several years. Funding will come through a variety of sources, including the RNLI, Historic England and other grants.

North Somerset Council and the RNLI has pledged to work closely with Historic England in order to collaborate and secure specific grants and trusts reserved for restoration and community projects to fund the venture.

The opening of the Grand Pier’s funfair caused the abandonment of Birnbeck Island amusements in 1933 – photo by Ellie Pipe

Duncan Macpherson, RNLI principal estates manager said: “This announcement comes after many months of collaborative work between the two organisations and while the funding and engineering involved in such a project is incredibly challenging, the council taking ownership of Birnbeck is essential to the RNLI’s ambition to re-establish a lifesaving facility on the island.”

Ross Simmonds, acting regional director at Historic England, added: “Birnbeck Pier is one of the longest standing and most important cases for Historic England here in the Southwest.”

“We are delighted that the council have secured the ownership of the pier and with the RNLI, we will continue to work closely with all partners to help rescue this outstanding and much-loved structure.”

Main photo by Paul Blakemore

Read more: Restoration work begins on bombed-our Redcliffe church 

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: