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Yesterday (Wednesday) councillors voted unanimously to approve the planning application, which was submitted in April on our behalf by architect practice Haverstock.
We bought the much-loved historic pier and island in Weston-super-Mare in July 2023 thanks to £400,000 funding from the RNLI, and much work has gone on behind the scenes to get to this point.
Planning consent was approved yesterday to:
- restore Pier Master’s Cottage and reinstate the bell tower, extending the building to the north to create space for a café intended to open to the public all year round,
- create other visitor facilities, including toilets,
- carry out repairs to weatherproof the other landside buildings known as Pier View, the old shell shop, and the South Toll House,
- stabilise buildings on the island including The Pavilion, 1888 Boathouse and the Clocktower, and
- provide essential services and infrastructure to the whole site – the landside buildings, the island and the pier itself – including work underground on water and sewage pumps, and to install a new fit-for-purpose electricity substation.
Work is planned to start later this year on the landside buildings to enable them to reopen to the public in 2025.
This phase will be funded by the UK government, from a £20m allocation awarded to us through the former Levelling Up Fund.
Elements of this work are necessary to enable subsequent phases of the project to take place, including restoring the pier itself and re-establishing the RNLI’s lifeboat station on Birnbeck Island.
Separate planning applications are expected to be submitted by the RNLI in the coming weeks.
With the first planning application now approved, we can move forward with work on the landside buildings and getting the infrastructure ready for future phases.
The whole project to restore Birnbeck Pier and island has been made possible thanks to funding from the RNLI, UK government, National Heritage Memorial Fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.
The current anticipated project timeline is:
- autumn/winter 2024 to summer/autumn 2025 – repair and renovation work to the landside buildings, repair the island sea wall, stabilise the pavilion.
- spring/summer 2025 to spring/summer 2026 – pier deck construction and repair work to strengthen the pier.
- spring/summer 2026 to summer/autumn 2027 – building work to create a new RNLI lifeboat station and visitor centre.
To find out more about the Birnbeck Pier project, visit the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust’s information hub next to the pier or our website.