The pier in April – no sign yet of the new superstructure.

Storm damage delays pier re-opening to 2016

Hastings Pier Charity has postponed the re-opening of the pier to March 2016, but promises that there will be opportunities to go onto it before then. Meanwhile the first shareholders’ meeting takes place on Saturday. Nick Terdre reports.

“We’re really disappointed not to be opening earlier but the storms in February 2014 caused a significant amount of additional damage and pushed back the works three months or more,” CEO Simon Opie said at a briefing last week. “That storm, the same one that ripped the railway up in Dawlish, created big problems for us and meant us rethinking the demolition of the old ballroom.”

It became necessary to bring in a jack-up barge to support the demolition of the ballroom as storm damage had made the pier too dangerous to be used as the demolition platform. “The additional costs weren’t a problem as we’d insured the structure,” Mr Opie said. “But the wait time for the barge and the extra work added to the build schedule, and we just haven’t been able to catch up.”

A glimpse of the future (image: HPC).

Completion is now expected in October – pier-watchers will have noted that since the demolition of the ruined ballroom was finished in November, there is as yet no sign of the visitors’ centre which will be sited roughly halfway along. Rather than re-open the pier outside the traditional seaside trading months, HPC has decided to put the event back to Monday 21 March next year – the start of the Easter school holidays.

In fact work on the visitors’ centre has begun, with the installation of six new piles which will support the 600-ton building. A steelwork structure which will complete the foundation is now being formed on the piles.

But people will get the chance to go on the pier well before the official re-opening. Christmas pop-up attractions are planned, including a Christmas fair and possibly a skating rink, as Mr Opie is keen to get the pier back in use as soon as possible.

“It’s vital the pier is financially viable; all the money raised paid for the restoration, but once finished the pier must pay its way. And most importantly, it’s a pier for Hastings, it’s a local attraction and a local asset for townspeople and visitors alike.”

The visitors' centre – building is in the early stages (image: HPC).

Full details of the pop-up Christmas attractions, and other opportunities for locals and groups to visit the pier during the winter, will be available  in September or October.

Meanwhile the first annual general meeting of shareholders will be held on Saturday 25 April at 11am in the White Rock Theatre. It’s the usual AGM  agenda – the board’s report on the accounts, auditor’s report, and so on – but once the formal business is over, shareholders will be given a presentation on the progress of construction, the social and community impact of the project and future plans.

Of the £600,000 or so raised from more than 3,000 subscribers by the community share issue, £200,000 has gone to the restoration pot while the remainder is available for other works. The bulk of the monies to cover the £13.9 million cost of restoring the pier comes from an £11.4 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. A further £2.5 million of match-funding has been provided by a variety of sources: Coastal Communities Fund £750,000, Community Ownership and Management of Assets Award £500,000, Hastings Borough Council £250,000, Community Builders Fund £250,000, Architectural Heritage Fund £250,000, East Sussex Investment Fund (ESCC) £180,000 and Hastings Borough Council/East Sussex County Council £120,000, in addition to the contribution from the shares issue.

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