The Telegraph - A Rival for Pier of the Year?

A week after the Pier of the Year result was released, The Telegraph produced a well-researched summary of the best seaside piers in the country. This was backed up with a proprietary scoring metric which took into account the piers’ length, any prior POTY winnings, and the range of attractions available. This article has generated quite considerable media attention on a wider basis; quite comparable to the POTY announcement. The article will potentially be restricted behind a paywall, but naturally other local newspapers have variously copied the information to articles of their own; some of which are available in the following links.

Hastings Pier - Licencing Arrangements Approved

Following the  news several weeks ago, Hastings Council have approved the various licencing applications concerning the pier. Large music events on the pier will be controlled with a number of operational conditions enforced, including no events being permitted over consecutive weekends. The planning matter in relation to these events remains unresolved; no applications to enable this land use have been made yet, but Gulzar’s operations manager insists that no events will be held until this is satisfactorily addressed (which surely discounts any events taking place over the coming Summer season).

Bognor Regis Pier - Seaward End Closed, but Hopefully Not for Long

The end section of Bognor Regis Pier’s seaward end, a length of two structural bays, has recently been closed to the public and Arun District Council have demanded that members of the public do not walk underneath it. This is resultant of a discovery of structural defects in this area. Fortunately, Bognor Pier Leisure Ltd. have since made it clear that repair works are imminent and will start, apparently, this very same week. There is also a comprehensive repainting scheme scheduled, although temporarily delayed due to issues with the equipment (this concerning cherry pickers, etc, not merely a paint brush without bristles!).

The pier has recently seen some evidence of reinvention in its visitor offerings, although the structural status of the pier has sadly been vulnerable  especially since the mid-20th Century. Its length has been repeatedly shortened in 1964/5, 1999 and 2008, so it is quite important that what little decking is left is preserved. It is a relief to hear that this is the owner’s immediate intention.

Old photographs of Bognor Regis Pier can be found on the following very good Facebook page, although it is no longer being updated. (Image: Eddie Mitchell)

Weston Super-Mare Grand Pier - A Katie Hopkins Storm

A sold-out stand-up event with Katie Hopkins was held at the Grand Pier on Wednesday evening. It is a dangerous subject indeed, as the force of social media could bring a commercial business into a hopeless disrepute if ever a contentious subject is even whispered on their part. In this case, Pier management quickly clarified that they had nothing to do with the programming and were only providing a last-minute venue for the externally-organised event, after the Winter Gardens ultimately failed to follow through with the event. They held that as long as the event followed legal standards, they were not in a position to impose any comment or opinion on the nature of the event. In the end, the event passed by as planned, with some internal photographs showing inventive use of the pier’s main amusement space for the stage and seating, and every seat filled. Outside, a small and seemingly peaceful protest took place outside the pier, taking issue at Hopkins’ typically provocative style. Despite the contention, everyone seemed to walk away satisfied: those who like that sort of comedy had a lively evening, and enjoyed their right to do so; the protestors successfully put their message across (with a social gathering in wonderful weather being a by-product of it), Hopkins expressed her gratitude to the event operators and pier staff for the last-minute arrangements, and the Metaverse’s social media servers healthily buzzed with thousands of comments from warring warriors into the early hours.

Ryde Pier - Isle Line Reopened

The anticipated reopening of the Isle of Wight’s Isle Line has been reached several days ahead of schedule, and the electric trains are now running along Ryde Pier again. This follows repairs to the overall network and refurbishment of the Ryde Pier rail section. A short video is provided in the article, showing the electric train arcing and sparking against the rails in the way such trains tend to do… quite an alarming sight on a supposedly fire-prone seaside pier, but it is clear that the railway section of the pier is built to resist such sources of ignition.

St. Anne’s Pier - A New Food Outlet

In one of St. Anne’s Pier’s seaward kiosks, a new food outlet (selling filled spuds and Bags of Doritos) has recently opened and necessitated a highly welcome refurbishment to the building in question. This sits on the South side of the deck and, during my visit in 2018, was in a highly neglected condition (See banner image). It is very positive to finally see some active developments at St. Anne’s, which rarely features in  news coverage. (Image: Relax St Annes on Sea)

Kilcreggan Pier - The UK’s Worst Pier, According to The Telegraph’s Survey

The Lochside Press, often involved in covering efforts for Kilcreggan Pier’s rejuvenation, have highlighted the fact that the Telegraph survey (covered last week) has placed the pier at the bottom of the list of 60; naturally they challenge this ranking. In fact, all five Scottish Piers (plus Kilcreggan; a “developing pier”), are blocked together at the extreme bottom. I myself only had restricted access to this article so cannot comment on the methodology behind the rankings, nor could I see the full list, but The Lochside Press noted that the Scottish system for heritage listings were not considered with the Grade-II/II*/I system for England and Wales. This might only form a small part of the reasoning for the rankings. Perhaps the piers of Scotland are simply less of the “pleasure pier” type that are commonplace in England and Wales, as seems to be the key criteria in the survey. Despite being evidently poor performers on this metric, they are still serviceable landing piers, cherished and relied upon by their respective communities, and generally in very attractive geographical settings (so I assume). Elsewhere on the bottom 10 list we see Birnbeck Pier (fair enough for now, but in five years time it ought to be at the top!), Yarmouth (Wight) and Hythe Piers (unfair perhaps?), and the two Gravesend Piers (what is the Royal Terrace Pier doing on this list, being privately owned and inaccessible to the general public; not listed by the  NPS as a result?). As for those middling entries, several other  news articles marked Swanage Pier 37th place out of 60, which seems rather unfair, whilst Weymouth “so-called Pleasure” Pier is placed in 40th which seems very high indeed for a carpark on the quayside. There is nothing like a long list ranking to argumentatively contest against! (Image: The Lochside Press)

Brighton Palace Pier - A Move to a Different Trading System

The Pier Company recently withdrew from the AIM stock market and has instead joined JP Jenkins for their shares trading.

Linked is a useful article detailing this process; regrettably the above is the limit to my personal understanding and enthusiasm in the subject (here is a nice corporate stock image for you!), but it certainly seems that the Palace Pier is taking positive steps in making its business sustainable.

Worthing Pier - More Repairs by Council

Adur & Worthing Councils have reported the completion of more repair work to the pier, including some minor adjustments and welding to the temporary supporting structure at the pier neck. The decking replacements on the Eastern pier entrance are now completed and the pier is fully open. (Image: Adur & Worthing Councils)

Southend Pier - Planned River Cruises for 2025

A useful summary of planned cruises offered by a number of different operators.

Cromer Pier - New “Murals” on the Theatre

North Norfolk District Council have completed a new historical display on the exterior of the Pier Theatre. The article repeatedly calls it a “mural”, but this it is not… it is a series of interpretation boards! Regardless, it appears to be a useful information resource, sequentially addressing each successive period of the pier’s history since its often quoted beginnings as a Medieval jetty (1391 and all that!). Some of this history is relayed further on in the article. The display is positioned on the right-hand splay wall of the Theatre. (Image: North Norfolk District Council)

Southend Pier - Annual Charity Fundraising Event

The 21st Great Pier Walk fundraising event will be taking place at Southend Pier on Sunday 18th May. No pre-registration is needed, but rather one would pay the pier entry fee (which is directed to the charity), walk along the pier and receive a medal… the easiest possible way to win a medal, it seems! The event raises funds for Southend Hospital Spotlight Appeal.

Roker Pier - Report of Ongoing Repairs

A short video feature shows ongoing progress with the repairs to Roker Pier, and the project manager and a senior councillor from Sunderland Council gave statements of the progress which is expected to be completed by the end of July. (Image: Sunderland City Council)

Worthing - A Profile on the Daily Express

A very amicable and pleasantly readable account of Modern Worthing, including a long summary of the development of the Pier. The article is sympathetic to the town and sells its virtues well. The origins of the Pier’s most distinctive visual features, the “New/Pier” Amusements and South Pavilion of 1935-37, are not mentioned.

Southport Pier - Political Discussion on BBC Television

An interesting and stimulating discussion on the future of government funding and support for coastal communities, including comments on the actions of Sefton Council regarding the Southport Pier fiasco. Councillor John Pugh (mentioned in a previous  newsletter) gives a fair assessment on the importance of Southport pier to the town, and the urgency for funding to be delivered. He personally believed that Sefton Council should be expected to fund much of the project themselves, and accused them of withholding funding for the project even though they do have the funds to deliver it. Any response from Sefton Council to those comments will be reproduced and discussed here if it emerges. The feature on the pier begins at 22 minutes into the BBC iPlayer feature, and will be available to view until about the 11th June.

Southport MP Patrick Hurley appeared in the BBC feature and reproduced an extract of it on his Facebook page, (shown in the size of a postage stamp and complete with Gen-Z-style captions!). MP Hurley is campaigning for an official post for a Minister for Coastal Communities. This opens quite a complex matter which might be discussed in more detail in a future  newsletter.

Hythe Pier Pontoon Repairs - Something Happens

After many months of inaction regarding essential repairs to the Hythe Pier pontoon, those following the matter were delighted to see preliminary works begin at the pier. Hythe Ferry issued the following statement:

“Hythe Ferry update - 8th May 2025

We wanted to provide a brief but important update on the investigation works that took place this morning.

You may have spotted the Williams Shipping barge at the end of the pontoon today, we're incredibly grateful to them for assisting us with this crucial first phase of works.

Phase One; focusing on testing the strength of the structure that supports the walkway.

This needs to be lifted or moved before we can begin the critical repairs to the pontoon and piles. It's a vital step and the results of this phase will determine how we proceed with Phase Two (pontoon repairs) and Phase Three (pile works).

We're currently working with three specialist contractors on this stage:

* Below the Hook Ltd.

* Ultramag Inspection Services

* Williams Shipping

At the same time, we’re also planning for our annual ferry refit, required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). This typically takes place in June/July and the cost was around £60,000 last year.

We're doing all we can to carefully manage timelines and budgets to get the ferry  service up and running again as soon as possible, and in the most cost-effective way.

Lastly, despite repeated efforts, we’ve yet to secure any financial support from New Forest District Council (NFDC).

We still have a long way to go, but we’re pleased to be able to bring you a positive update today.

Thank you for your continued patience and support. We know how important the ferry is to the community, and we’ll keep doing everything we can to bring it back into  service safely and sustainably.”

Image: Hythe Ferry

Totland Pier — For Sale, Again

The long-anticipated rebuilding work at Totland Pier is now largely complete, including the completion of the two-storey restaurant building at the pier head, but it has been placed for sale prior to this being opened to the public. The site is marketed as possessing planning permission and licencing for the restaurant business, as well as for the cafe at the shoreward end and for a number of moorings around the pier. This recent development has caused some worry for locals to Totland bay, in that the pier might rapidly succumb if it fails to sell. There is also the possibility for the restaurant building to be converted to a residential use, making the pier largely private-access only. This is not the first time that the seemingly positive regeneration work has seen a change of direction, with proposals being made (and refused) in 2023 for the conversion of the shoreward-end cafe into holiday flats.

Blackpool Central Pier - Old Photograph Gallery

A typical advert-heavy photo gallery on the Blackpool Gazette, but with a good variety of historic photographs of the 20th Century.

Southend Pier - Summer Season

Extended Summer opening hours are now in operation at Southend Pier, presently open from 10:15 to 20:00.

There will also be a visit to the pier from “Nao Santa Maria”, a replica of Columbus’ “1492” ship, from the 1st to the 7th July. Tours will be available from the 2nd to the 6th.

Great Yarmouth Britannia Pier - Works Nearing Completion

The new “Britannia Pier” illuminated signage has been installed on the front of the entrance building and the opening ceremony has been advertised. Night photographs of the new work show the signage to pierce through the darkness very starkly; quite an impressive effect. The digital advertisement/events display is yet to be installed, and hopefully will not be too bright once it is!

The opening ceremony will be taking place on Saturday 14th June, the day of the AGM visit to the pier, as it happens. (Image: Britannia Pier)

Weston Grand Pier - Expansion of “Free Admission” Catchment Area

The Grand Pier has recently offered a “My Grand Pier Card” for local residents, allowing for free admission and various exclusive discounts. Now the number of eligible households has been increased, and residents as far away as Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea and Cheddar can apply; nearly 180,000 households in total. For everyone else, the £2 admission fee applies.

Southend Pier - Preparations for a Poignant Proliferation of Poppies on the Pier

Southend Pier has ambitions to produce a trail of knitted poppies along the length of the pier, in time for Remembrance Day in November. Donations for knitted poppies are being accepted at a number of locations around Southend, with a deadline for the 26th September.

Southampton Royal Pier - From One Indian Restaurant to Another (and a rant)

Nothing to report on the Royal Pier itself; the only part of its “curtilage” which has seen any meaningful activity is the 1930s entrance building. “Kuti’s Brasserie” departed in 2024, amid a flurry of legal and cashflow issues, and its replacement also closed after several months. With the third incarnation, there are some quite interesting speculations in the article comments, but certainly do not automatically take these as fact! The above really has very little to do with the  NPS, except that it is the only activity that keeps the name “Royal Pier” known.

As for the pier itself, it remains as a hopeless wreck and an appalling disgrace for Southampton. Once a most substantial and appealing pleasure pier, well into the 1970s, its ownership by ABP since then would appear to have been highly neglectful. All regeneration attempts on this part of Southampton Waterfront have ended in failure, and until this mouldering carcass is removed from Southampton’s prime waterfront (as is probably the only viable option now), the city will struggle with its image.

(Photographed is me and the Royal Carcass in 2021, with not much to be smiling about…)

Walton Pier - A Review

The Clacton Gazette have published a review of Walton Pier’s visitor experience, but being behind a paywall, nothing can be gleaned for the purpose of the  newsletter. Try the link anyway; the troll of Clacton Bridge might grant you access to the  news just this once!