£600k cost of keeping Bay’s pier safe Size of rising bill revealed

MORE than £600,000 has been spent to date on looking after a “severely deteriorating” pier. The size of the still-rising bill for Colwyn Bay pier was revealed to a full meeting of Conwy council last Thursday as members were urged to be “realists not romantics” over the future of the structure.

The discussion came as Colwyn Victoria Pier Trust awaits the outcome of its £9.6m Heritage Lottery Fund bid to redevelop the 115-year-old structure.

Sasha Davies, Conwy’s strategic director for economy and place, revealed the cost of the pier and said the council couldn’t afford to keep the Grade II-listed former attraction.

Even Jess Steele, of Colwyn Victoria Pi T d i di h mously to adopt a twin-track approach. They will monitor the HLF bid but will pursue a decision made in 2013 to seek permission from Cadw to de-list and demolish the pier “in parallel”.

Both courses of action will take several months, with the HLF bid decision not due until April.

Ms Davies told councillors that the pier is “severely deteriorating”.

She said the latest work on interim management and health and safety work has cost £668,185 to date, and is still rising.

She also raised concerns about the future if the Colwyn Victoria Pier Trust doesn’t succeed.

She said: “We cannot take the risk of the pier coming back to us if the business plan of the new owner fails.” Ms Steele, an advisor to Colwyn Vici Pi T d i dh h i

But she insisted it could be a health and education hub with 200,000 visits a year.

The trust’s business plan says 45 jobs and a further 32 full-time equivalent jobs would be created on the pier, which could bring £1.6m into the local economy.

Ms Steele said the trust believes it would make an annual £80,000 surplus — after maintenance costs.

Cllr Goronwy Edwards reluctantly backed demolition and urged councillors to be “realists not romantics”.

Councillors agreed a resolution which said: “Conwy acknowledges the application for Heritage Lottery funding submitted by Colwyn Victoria Pier Trust and awaits the outcome, at which point the council or cabinet will consider a request made by the trust, including the

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