Plans to restore a historic pier in Weston-super-Mare have been revived after a last-minute injection of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Project Saved at the Last Minute
North Somerset councillors had been preparing to scrap the restoration of Birnbeck Pier after the RNLI pulled out of a funding deal earlier this year. But at a full council meeting on Tuesday, officials confirmed the Heritage Fund would cover the £5.5m shortfall.
Mark Canniford, the cabinet member overseeing the project, told councillors he was “delighted” by the unexpected news. “We made a promise to work right up until the last minute,” he said.
Instead of voting to cancel the scheme, councillors approved the new grant and awarded the contract for the works to engineering firm J T Mackley.
National Importance
Council chair Clare Hunt said the investment showed Birnbeck Pier’s significance beyond the local community. “This is not just a local issue. This has got this money because it is of national importance,” she said.
Council leader Mike Bell added: “It was certainly unexpected and last minute, but it’s absolutely the product of hard work. It’s a real vote of confidence in the project.”
Heritage at Risk
The National Lottery Heritage Fund described the restoration as a “transformational project” that would regenerate the town’s waterfront for generations.
Chief executive Eilish McGuinness said: “Birnbeck Pier is a unique part of our coastal heritage that has been at risk of loss for over 25 years. The additional grant reflects our commitment to saving heritage at risk and investing in the communities it belongs to.”
A Unique Landmark
Birnbeck Pier is one of only six Grade II listed piers in England and the only one in the UK to connect the mainland to an island. Built in the 1860s, it played a vital role during World War Two, when it was used for weapons trials — including testing Sir Barnes Wallis’s bouncing bomb.
The RNLI, which had pledged £5.5m to return its Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station to Birnbeck Island, withdrew from the project in June citing viability concerns. However, the charity has previously supported efforts to save the pier, including providing £400,000 in 2023 for the council to purchase the structure.
With the new grant secured, restoration work is set to go ahead, securing the future of one of Britain’s most unusual and historic seaside landmarks.
