'A crying shame' as pier to remain closed for another summer

Southport Pier remains closed with no reopening date confirmed

A seaside pier is an iconic image associated with British summers but one of the country's oldest will remain closed this year.

Southport Pier, which is also the second longest pier in the UK, has been closed since December 2022 over "serious health and safety" fears.

Sefton Council shut the pier, which was first opened in 1860, on the advice of structural engineers after a period of extreme weather.

Residents said its 18 month closure had impacted tourism but the council said they were "not prepared to put anyone at risk" following a new report examining its condition.

As the late May bank holiday sets off the summer season, many people are asking when, and if, they will be able to walk along the pier again.

'National asset'

Sefton Council said there "is severe decay within more than 25% of the decking boards on the pier"

Designed by James Brunlees, the pier measures 3633ft (1108m) and is the second longest in the country.

It was given Grade II listed status in 1975 and holds treasured memories to many, including 61-year-old Chris Cadman, from Birkdale, Southport.

Mr Cadman said the pier was "one of his earliest childhood memories".

"As a boy I used to run alongside the old diesel train which ran the length of the pier to see if I could get to the end before it did.

"I was occasionally told off by grumpy adults who complained they had paid to get to the end first."

Mr Cadman said the town must do all it could to save the "irreplaceable national asset".

Southport resident Chris Cadman's family walking down the pier in the 1930s

The pier's repairs are being estimated to cost £13m and a reopening date remains in limbo following findings from the new structural integrity report.

The report, which cost Sefton Council £400,000, said poor workmanship from works between 1998-2002 had led to "decay and deck deterioration" with "numerous areas" now deemed unsafe.

Located within the Southport Promenade Conservation Area, which is on Historic England's at Risk Register, the pier's temporary closure is said to have significantly affected Southport’s leisure and tourism offer.

Jane Warburton has worked in Southport for more than 10 years

Jane Warburton, 59, previously drove the train on the pier.

She said: "Nobody can really understand why it (reopening) is taking so long, it is a very much loved piece of architecture in Southport, it’s a massive focal point."

Mother and daughter, Stephanie Aindow, 59, and Sophie Parrish, 32, from Southport, really want to see the pier "up and running" again.feel the council should be doing more to get the pier “up and running now”.

Ms Aindow added: "I think it’s a crying shame."

Ms Aindow believes the public would be willing to fundraise to reopen the pier or have a toll installed, similarly to how charitable donations enabled plaques to be installed on the pier in the 2000s.

Mother and daughter, Stephanie Aindow, 59, and Sophie Parrish, 32, said they miss the pier

Sefton Council said the plaques would be reinstalled and were looking into all options to reopen the pier.

For businessman Colin Jamieson, who owns the lease on the pier and several business located directly on it, he said his "whole livelihood has gone".

"I'm devastated," said the 68-year-old.

"I don’t care who pays for it, I just want it opened.

Colin Jamieson, owner of Southport Pier Pavilion, said his business has suffered ever since the pier closed in 2022

Sefton Council said the independent report speaks for itself, and they were "not prepared to put anyone at risk of potential harm by allowing them to walk on the structure in its current condition".

While no reopening date has been announced, work is ongoing to finalise a programme of future works including detailed costings.

But for now, it looks like the pier will be shut for another summer season.

Key timeline

• 1990 report says £900,000 needed to secure pier’s future - demolition proposal rejected

• Charitable trust established in 1993 and friends’ group in 1994

• Trust awarded £641,000 European grant for structural work in 1995

• Lottery funding awards £34,000 for structural survey in 1996

• Phase one of refurbishment in May 2002

• A new 100-seater tram in 2005

• Pier celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2010

• Wheels of lorry fall through deck in 2011

• Pier tram suspended in 2013 amid discovery of cracks in cast iron

• Tram service stops in 2015 and replaced with smaller land train

• Council announces pier maintenance work in 2015

• Staircase and pier revamp plan detailed in 2016

• Work commences on £2.9m project to transform pier in 2017

• Section of pier closes in 2018 to allow second phase of £2.9m work to begin

• Pier closed due to lorry collision in 2020

• Pier features in BBC drama, Time, in 2021

• Council's May 2022 report says £200,000 needed to replace pier decking

• Council's August 2022 report says £3m is needed to repair pier

• Pier is closed in December 2022 due to freezing temperatures

• Petition launched to reopen pier in June 2023 as repairs to exceed £13m

• National Piers Society visits pier in September 2023

• Lawson’s Timber Reclamation Yard began selling decking from the pier in February 2024

• Sefton Council appoints pier project team in May 2024

• Structural report, costing £40,000, concludes in May 2024