Issue - meetings

Southport Pier

 

 

Meeting: 01/09/2022 - Cabinet (Item 51)

51 Southport Pier pdf icon PDF 399 KB

Report of the Executive Director - Place

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director – Place that updated on the current condition of Southport Pier decking following completed technical survey work, and the recommended necessary remedial actions required including the replacement of the full pier timber decking.

 

Decision Made:

 

That:

 

(1)

the report be noted and that approval be granted for the full pier decking to be replaced;

 

(2)

the Executive Director (Place), in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Regeneration and Skills, be authorised to exercise delegated authority to appoint a suitable contractor for the capital works and to appoint a range of consultancy services via a compliant framework to support the successful delivery of the project; and to ensure that the employer’s agent retains responsibility for both the contract and the contract specification; and

 

(3)

Council be recommended to:

 

(A)

approve a £3m supplementary capital estimate to enable the scheme to be included within the Council’s Capital Programme and that this be financed by prudential borrowing; and

 

(B)

note the annual cost of the borrowing of £0.178m and approve that this figure is added as a growth item to the Council’s medium term financial plan and as such will be funded as part of the 2023/24 budget plan.

 

Reasons for the Decision:

 

Southport Pier is a critical visitor attraction that holds significant importance to Sefton’s economy and brand. It is also a Grade-II listed structure. As part of the routine maintenance, it became apparent the pier decking was starting to fail in isolated areas, therefore several detailed inspections from timber experts have taken place. The recommendation is now to replace the entire decking after the 2022 summer season from October 2022 with most works taking place in the Winter. to ensure the Pier is fit for purpose, remains safe, and continues to be a critical historic asset for Sefton.

 

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

 

The following other options have been considered and rejected:

 

  1. Ongoing replacement – This would result in decking boards being replaced as part of the current yearly maintenance programme, as has been the case of the last 5 years. This has been rejected following the recent deck survey and the recommended requirement to replace the whole decking.

 

  1. Full replacement over several years – This would result in the pier decking being replaced in phases over 10 to 15 years. This has been rejected due to the costs, the impact on the pier concession and wider economy and following the conclusions of the recent deck survey and the recommended requirement to replace the whole decking.

 

  1. Do nothing – This has been rejected on Health and Safety grounds.