£10m of funding awarded for Birnbeck Pier restoration
It's been announced 160 years to the day since the pier’s foundation stone was laid
Weston-super-Mare's Birnbeck Pier has been awarded £10 million from the National Lottery for its restoration.
The money will go towards making the Grade II listed pier safe and usable once again.
It is a significant milestone in North Somerset Council’s ambitions to re-open the pier, one of only six Grade II listed piers in England and the only pier in the UK to connect the mainland to an island, as a unique visitor destination to support the wider regeneration of Weston.
The announcement was made at an event held 160 years to the day since the pier’s foundation stone was laid on 28 October 1864.
Designed by Eugenius Birch and opened in 1867, Birnbeck Pier was a popular destination for day-trippers from ports along the Bristol Channel, including from south Wales. The pier even had a tramway system to transport luggage.
During the Second World War, the pier played a significant role and was commissioned by the Admiralty for weapon trials, including the famous Sir Barnes Wallis ‘bouncing bomb’.
Post-war, the pier's popularity waned leading to a decline in visitors and steamer services, with the last steamer excursion taking place in 1979. The lack of maintenance during private ownership caused the pier to become unsafe and in 1994 it was closed to the public.
RNLI volunteers first had a presence on the Island in 1882, building a lifeboat station from which to operate on the island in 1888 until they were forced to leave in 2014 after it was deemed too dangerous. Since then, the RNLI in Weston has operated from a temporary base on the plaza at Marine Lake.
Historic England placed the pier on its original Heritage at Risk Register in 1998 due to concerns about its deterioration.
As well as re-opening the much-loved landmark to the public, the project also intends to enable the RNLI to return to the island, which remains the safest and most effective location to launch lifeboats in Weston.
Councillor Mike Bell, Leader of North Somerset Council, said: “£10m is a significant amount of money - we’re so grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their ongoing support of our project to restore Birnbeck Pier. I must also acknowledge and thank National Lottery players as this simply wouldn’t have been possible without them. This money will go towards the restoration of the pier structure itself, for which there is a planning application lodged at the moment."
“This funding award demonstrates the continued recognition by key national organisations – including our multiple funding partners – in our renovation plans for Birnbeck, to not only restore public access to this Victorian treasure but to get the RNLI back on the island where they belong.”
Heritage Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “It has felt for ages as if it was the end of the pier show for this end of the pier, but I applaud the ambitious work of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the local council to restore this landmark to its former glory and I hope this funding brings the public one step closer to a stroll to the end of Birnbeck Pier."