Plans to reopen pier but £10m funding still needed

Plans to reopen the pier have moved a step closer with the signing of a partnership between Sefton Council and an "expert project team"

Plans to reopen a historic pier have moved a step closer with a project team now in place, but about £10m in funding is still needed.

Southport Pier, which is the second longest in the UK, was closed in 2022 by Sefton Council on the advice of structural engineers after a period of extreme weather.

The closure of the pier has had a significant impact on the town’s leisure and tourism offer, with many residents and local business owners keen to see the pier reopened.

Sefton Council has confirmed a report will now be drafted to look at all options before the next steps for the project are outlined.

'Significant erosion'

Sefton Council had managed to raise about £3m but now needs to find the remaining £10m of the predicted total cost.

The council has commissioned exploratory work to assess the scale of the problem at the pier, publishing images showing “significant” disrepair and erosion to the pier’s structure.

They said they were working with a "collective of industry-leading experts" to establish a practical and realistic time frame for all works to be delivered.

And this week they have confirmed the appointment of their project team dedicated to opening up Southport Pier, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Southport Pier, which is the second longest in the UK, was closed in 2022

A E Yates, who did the exploratory and investigation work on the pier, join Southport-based RAL Architects Gardiner & Theobold, structural engineers Fairhurst, Steve A Hunt & Associates and Pegasus Planning as part of the expert project team.

The full refurbishment work required to ensure the pier can open safely again is thought to exceed £13m, which is more than £10m over the £3m the council had agreed to borrow to fund new decking.

Sefton Council chief executive, Phil Porter said: “We continue to engage with a range of central and regional government departments and other parties over identifying funding for the refurbishment and longer-term maintenance of Southport Pier.”