MP calls for national organisation to save piers

An MP has called for a new national organisation to preserve the UK's piers, which have become "dilapidated" and risk becoming relics.

Southport's Labour MP Patrick Hurley wants the government to set up a National Pier Service as the Merseyside town faces its third summer without its pier being open to the public.

The structure, built in 1860, closed in December 2022 for health and safety reasons and its owner Sefton Council has estimated the cost of fixing it to be £13m.

The authority said it could not afford the repairs but it would continue to seek funding after an initial expression of interest to the National Lottery Heritage fund was not progressed.

Hurley said his call for a National Pier Service was part of a wider demand for more support for the country's coastal communities, including a dedicated Minister for Coastal towns.

The BBC has asked the department for communities and local government for a response.

Hurley said seaside towns had specific challenges based around their seasonal economies, adding: "Bed and breakfasts, 2p slot machines, fun fairs and theme parks - all of the things that we go to the seaside for are all struggling across the country."

He said towns needed a "specific policy response" to support them and the government needed a coastal communities strategy.

He is working with other MPs representing coastal towns, and said that Southport was not alone in being unable to maintain or repair its famous pier.

Many of the attractions which made seaside towns "exotic" in the past now risked becoming relics of a bygone age if action was not taken, he added.

"So many piers are dilapidated," he said. "They've been stood in the sea for well over a century, and the salt water takes its toll."

Andrew Brown who runs the Stand Up for Southport website said he was confident the funding would be found for the town's pier.

"There is such a determination in this town", he said.

"This is a national landmark. We've got everything in place; we've got planning permission, we've got a plan, we just need the funding."

Hurley has approached the National Trust to propose working together to maintain and run some piers. The heritage charity said it was in communication with the MP.

Hurley said he would also seek to explore if a new organisation, a "National Piers Trust" could be developed.

He said he was talking to councils and organisations which maintain the UKs remaining piers, of which there are about 60, to see what he could learn from them.

The UK's leading charity for piers, the National Piers Society, which was founded in 1979 by the poet Sir John Betjeman, has campaigned to save several piers that would otherwise have vanished.

It advises heritage bodies, local authorities, pier owners and the government on pier-related matters, but does not operate or run piers itself.

An MHCLG spokesperson said: "Through our Plan for Change we are determined to regenerate our coastal communities and improve living standards.

"As part of this important work we will give local leaders powers to drive forward Local Growth Plans to accelerate regional growth, putting more money in people's pockets, and will continue to consider ways to further boost our coastal areas."

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