Southport Pier closure has been devastating, business owner says

The pier was shut in December due to concerns about its walkway and the council has not said when it will reopen

Delays to a pier's repairs have had a "devastating" impact on tourism, a man who runs attractions on it has said.

Colin Jamieson, who owns the Southport Pier Pavilion, the cafe and arcade, was forced to close in December after the Grade II listed structure was deemed unsafe by Sefton Council.

The council has not given a date for the completion of any repairs.

Mr Jamieson said businesses and visitors were "losing out", adding: "The whole situation is a total mess."

The 160-year-old pier, which is the second longest in the UK, was shut over concerns about its wooden walkway.

The council initially borrowed £3m to pay for repair work, which will see about 25% of the walkway planks replaced, but said in June that the initial figure had to at least £13m.

Mr Jamieson added that he believed the council had to take responsibility as it had "made a lot of mistakes"

Mr Jamieson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was frustrated by "months of delays" and the council was "dragging their heels" on the issue of compensation.

"We're losing out, people coming to Southport are losing out, the whole situation is a total mess," he said.

"Nobody is listening to us."

Mr Jamieson added that he believed the council had to take responsibility as it had "made a lot of mistakes" in management of the pier's upkeep.

In June, councillor Marion Atkinson told an emergency meeting of the Labour-led council that claims by Southport's Conservative MP Damien Moore that it had let down local businesses by failing to maintain the structure were not correct.

The meeting was told the authority had recently spent £261,000 on pier maintenance and a further £1.5m over the previous five years.

In a full council meeting in July, councillor Ian Maher said the authority was looking for external funding sources.

A Sefton Council representative declined to respond to Mr Jamieson's comments.

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