Birnbeck Pier latest

Thanks to Liberal Democrat leadership of the partnership administration running North Somerset Council, the council took ownership of Birnbeck Pier on Thursday 13 July 2023.

The purchase means North Somerset Council can start work jointly with the RNLI on restoring Birnbeck Pier immediately and ensuring a vital life-saving lifeboat station can operate once again from the island.

You can find all the latest news about Birnbeck on the council website here.

The next steps in the restoration of Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare are set to be considered at a North Somerset Council meeting on Wednesday 7 February.

The council’s Executive committee will consider proposals for construction contracts to deliver restoration work for the project. These include work to restore and renovate the pavilion and other structures on the island, restoration of the landside buildings and essential public safety work.

This project has been made possible thanks to funding from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, National Heritage Memorial Fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.

Councillor Mark Canniford, the council's Liberal Democrat executive member responsible for placemaking, as well as local ward member, said: “A plan going to a council meeting may on the surface sound like a regular occurrence, but I can’t understate the importance of this moment. We’re at a pivotal point in the successful delivery of this large, complex and multi-funded restoration project.

“We need to be able to get the right contractors on board to work alongside us and our funding partners to deliver the project, some of it extremely specialist, in a timely manner, to a good standard and of course on budget.”