Riding the storm! For the long term survival of piers,
Mumbles Pier, South Wales
owners must inevitably look to the use of new materials for the actual structures of such venues and William Mitchell notes that
new technology will play an important role. And as far as the attractions on the pier are
concerned, he comments: “We need to move away from the videos and amusement machines as the market has changed so much, and do different things. Skegness Pier is an FEC style venue with 10 pin bowling, LaserQuest, a play area, etc.”
On Clevedon Pier, Strong points to marketing activities
and keeping the name of the attraction in lights as playing an important role. “We have been lucky and have been used for films and
TV therefore keeping the name of Clevedon Pier out there,” she explains. “The long term plan is to gather funding for our new visitor facility and therefore a future for the pier.” Keeping up with what visitors want these days is also a
main consideration for the future of Brighton Palace Pier, where Martin says the key to survival is “Investment like any business and change the business to meet the demands of the time. We are continuing to invest heavily in conserving the heritage (of the pier) and moving forward in terms of the modernity of the attractions.”
Clevedon Pier
THE UK’s National Pier Society (NPS) was founded in 1979 under Sir John Betjeman, principally at the time to save the West Pier in Brighton, although it was also a time when some of the country’s finest piers were also threatened with demolition. Since then the society has grown and become established as the leading authority on piers. Through its efforts, several piers that would otherwise have vanished remain in existence today. The society’s aim is to promote and sustain
interest in the preservation, building and continued enjoyment of seaside piers. It publishes a quarterly journal and advises heritage bodies, local authorities and the media. Members choose a Pier of the Year annually and a triennial award for engineering achievement in pier restoration is made by an advisory panel of experts. In the longer term, the NPS wishes to establish a network of regional branches and a National Piers Museum. The society is involved in a range of activities, including the recent Party on the Pier which kicked
44 InterPark May-June 2011
off British Tourism Week 2011 with nationwide celebrations around the coast in March. It also runs an annual photographic competition relating to piers and the Pier of the Year competition, the 2011 award being won by Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare. Behind the scenes the society is currently
attempting to change the rules that prevent privately owned piers from being eligible to apply for Lottery and other funding. It is also in talks with the DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) about becoming the statutory authority for piers (similar to the Theatres Trust) whereby piers wishing to make alterations would be legally obliged to notify the NPS in the first instance. Out of the current 55 piers around the UK which
still exist, 31 are members of the NPS. Of the total, however, four are currently closed and 18 are owned by local authorities (it being difficult to persuade the latter to join for various reasons). And so what does the future hold for UK piers in the eyes of the NPS?
“Mixed,” says media relations officer Anthony
Wills. “Those piers that have undertaken a programme of rolling maintenance rather than allowed their structures to decay have got a head start. It is important also to reinvent piers for the 21st Century, taking into account changing tastes and lifestyles. “In the long term, rising tides and falling beach
levels threaten the survival of all piers. However, for the moment the outlook is far from gloomy.” And looking through the examples provided of
current investment in piers, it certainly appears that many will continue to survive and continue to entertain visitors for a long time to come. “Piers remain an iconic feature of the British
seaside and National Piers Society surveys have shown 85 per cent of respondents in favour of their retention,” concludes Wills.
Our thanks to the NPS for its contributions to this article.
www.piers.org.uk
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