Pier Pressure

As anxieties about the future of Southport Pier increase, a petition has been launched to pressure the Council to restore the Pier to a fully operational state at the earliest opportunity. The Council is currently digesting the results of a full structural survey, but it is believed that a full repair, which could necessitate the replacement of all the wood, may cost in excess of £7 million pounds.

According to Sefton opposition leader, Liberal Democrat, Cllr John Pugh that’s a bullet Sefton will have to bite

" The Pier is the great survivor in Southport’s history”, he says, “ This is just the latest episode in its fight against the elements. I am aware that the Council is not flush with cash but it makes no sense to spend £72M on a new events centre and let the pier next to it fall into rack and ruin.

The worry is though the Council doesn’t bite the bullet but tries to dodge it by mothballing the Pier or parts of it. Previous councils baulking at the cost of repairs have considered partial demolition. Petitioning the Council to crack on with a full repair and returned public access can concentrate minds. Delay and indecision are the enemy here. If the Council can find £32M to purchase the Strand, they can find the resources to fix the Pier in good time. 

The Pier Petition calls on Sefton" to commit irrevocably the resources necessary to restore the Pier to its former state and in so doing facilitate full and safe public access to the Pier by the earliest possible date.”  It can be completed HERE.

Cllr.Pugh has also released a video showing how the Pier has beaten the odds before. It can be found HERE. 

“It's important to note that without the support of the Southport public, we wouldn’t have a Pier today. It would have gone the way of so many others.”