Purchase order served on owner of crumbling pier
AN order for the compulsory purchase of Weston-superMare’s dilapidated Birnbeck Pier has been served on its owner.
North Somerset Council announced yesterday the CPO has been served on the landmark’s owner CNM Estates.
The authority had previously made a financial offer to CNM Estate in a bid to avoid going through the lengthy and costly process of applying for a CPO but this was not accepted.
The plan is to secure the ownership of the pier, then transfer the landmark to the RNLI.
The back-to-back deal will mean the pier is transferred immediately to the RNLI, which wants to return its operations to the island.
North Somerset Council leader Cllr Don Davies said: “This is a significant step towards restoring Birnbeck, allowing the RNLI to move forward with their plans and restoring public access.
“We had hoped to avoid the CPO process and for the owner to voluntarily transfer the site to the council or the RNLI, but sadly it seems this will not be the case.”
As part of the plan, the RNLI will restore the pier, which over the years has fallen into a dangerous condition, and build a new lifeboat station, training facility and other operational buildings required.
The town’s RNLI lifeboat service, based on the landmark for 131 years, was forced to leave the island in 2013 because of the dilapidated state of the structure.
It is currently operating from a temporary site at Knightstone.
North Somerset Council, working with Historic England, issued CNM Estates with a repairs notice in September.
The notice ordered the company, headed by Wahid Samady, to carry out a series of “necessary repairs” to the landmark. Mr Samady was given two months to respond to the notice but no work has been done.
Detailed survey work has been carried out by the council to assess the condition of the pier.
Rebecca Barrett, regional director for Historic England in the South West, said: “We applaud North Somerset Council in taking this vital step towards securing Birnbeck Pier for use by the RNLI as a lifesaving base.
“We will continue to support both organisations as the regeneration of this stunning Victorian structure gets under way.”
The other part of the site, the former Royal Pier Hotel, is not included in the scheme.
The site remains vacant after the council was forced to step in and demolish the buildings following a fire. The council has put a charge on the site for the costs it incurred for the demolition and to make the site safe.
The pier closed to the public for safety reasons in 1994 and is now on a Buildings at Risk Register.
CNM Estates bought the pier in 2012 after major redevelopment plans fell by the wayside.
The CPO will need to be agreed by the Secretary of State, which could take up to 18 months.