Worthing Pier Closure
The Conservative councillors on Worthing Borough Council are urging the Labour Council Leader Cllr Sophie Cox to 'be honest and transparent' and tell the people of Worthing the full extent of the damage to Worthing's award-winning pier and publically state when it might next be open again for them and the businesses that operate on there. At the Worthing Council meeting on 15 October she dodged the question, simply stating that the work cannot be done this week. Her own officers have stated that if the 'spring tidal conditions’ opportunity was lost this week, then it would be into November before they could try again.
The pier has been closed since the 10th of October following specialist advice that there was a risk to public safety by using the pier and that should more parts fail, the wider integrity of the pier was in question and was at risk of partial collapse.
The pier, built in 1862, is a Grade II listed structure and over the years has been subject to a regular programme of inspection and repair, the last significant repairs being in 2021 after the Covid period.
Since then a series of routine maintenance checks and a decking replacement programme had been commissioned and should have occurred. In addition to inspections from underneath the pier when the very low 'spring tides' allow. Also crucial to maintaining the integrity of the pier is the rolling programme of decking replacement as it allows the Council to conduct on deck, close-quarter inspection of the steelwork that holds the pier up and allows for the stripping out and replacement of the old deck planks and timber bearers, and enables the checking and replacement of any heavily corroded steel beams, chipping away surface rust from the existing steel beams, and painting the steel beams with an epoxy marine paint.
A group spokesman said:
'Our thoughts are with the various businesses on the pier, who between them employ about 60 persons, who now face an uncertain future. They have been left high and dry with no certainty of when they may be able to fully return. We have yet to hear from the Labour Council how they intend to support or compensate these businesses for their lost revenue. Whilst it is reassuring that the two restaurants have been able to relocate, this has been at considerable cost to themselves and their staff, and the other businesses sadly do not have that opportunity.
'Thousands of residents and tourists visit the pier each year for a fun day out. We think it is a massive shame that one of our iconic landmarks has been left without support or answers on when it can be re-opened’.
In 2020 the then Conservative Council proposed and agreed a three year cycle of decking replacement for 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 at a budget of £89,000 per annum, yet in published council papers from the budget setting meeting on the 20th February 2024, this work was listed as 'reprofiled to future years'. In addition, other safety work involving the landing stage and fire safety equipment totalling £918,000 was also 'reprofiled to future year' with no delivery date stated.
Questions need to be answered now.
The pier has been regularly inspected by a local engineering firm and we understand that a recent report was made this year. So what was in that report? What work was identified as being needed? What was or hasn't been done that led us to this awful situation and the closure of our iconic pier? These questions must be asked against a Labour budget cut in the allocated budget in 2023/24 from £521,480 to 2024/25 of £364,150 ; a reduction of £157,330.
One question being asked is 'Was the drive to save money by cutting spending a contributing factor that has seen maintenance ignored or deferred and the pier put at risk? If so, the Labour councillors must accept full responsibility for their decision making and this unprecedented situation.
So far, the Council has not released the structural report or confirmed when the work will be done. If they are reliant on the 'spring tides' then it could be as long as late November before this is achieved and that will be subject to the prevailing weather conditions at that time.
This not only affects the operators on the pier, and the town's reputation, but also brings into question the annual firework display from the pier on the 5th November.