Mumbles Pier stripped bare for £3.2m revamp
MUMBLES Pier has been stripped bare ahead of a £3.2m revamp. Having been a part of Swansea since 1898, the historic landmark has been an attraction for tourists and locals alike for more than a century.
But now, work to restore it has begun.
The once-wooden boardwalk is but a shell of its former self, just a metal frame, as the project continues.
The work is part of a £3.2 million scheme which has seen part of the Swansea Bay landmark demolished, with construction workers previously removing period Victorian features for storage and refurbishment – a job set to be completed by the end of the year.
During the work a new 10-metre bridge, costing £56,000, is soon to be installed to ensure continued RNLI crew access to the lifeboat station.
The original supporting columns for the pier, put there in 1898, will remain in place as they are considered still up to the job.
Speaking about the work, pier operations manager Bert Bollom said: “We’re doing everything we can to ensure that it’s business as usual.
“Fingers crossed, things are pretty much on schedule and we hope to see a planning application on proposed foreshore designs go before councillors in the next few months.”
Those wider development plans for the foreshore are intended to fund the pier’s restoration.
They will see a hotel and apartments created, possibly including holiday lets, with work hoped to start in early 2019.
Mr Bollom also stated that ongoing discussions to relocate Mumbles Amateur Rowing Club were also in hand, after fears for its future were raised by members.
“We’re keen to see watersports retained at the pier,” Mr Bollom said.
“As such, we’ve been in discussions to relocate the club to a temporary location in the former pier offices.
“This will include boat storage and changing facilities with showers and toilets.”
The lease on the building lapses next year and the site is needed to accommodate a new boardwalk.