As North Somerset Council moves towards issuing a Compulsory Purchase Order for Birnbeck Pier, the RNLI have confirmed that they now plan to re-establish a lifeboat station on Birnbeck Island. After the CPO has been successful and the ownership transferred, the RNLI will repair and restore the historic bridge to the island and re-establish a lifeboat station on the island with all the necessary facilities to enable them to be able to effectively launch and recover their crews at any stage of the tide. The BRT will continue to work with North Somerset Council, the RNLI, and Historic England to secure the best future for the pier which will positively benefit the local population and in turn help to regenerate this long-neglected part of Weston-super-Mare.

In these situations a local authority has the power to consider and prepare for the compulsory purchase of a listed building or structure which has been neglected by the owner. The process currently being followed is that North Somerset Council has previously issued a Repairs Notice to the owner with a schedule of repairs works that are urgently needed. The owner was then required to demonstrate that they intend to carry out the works within 2 months. As the owner showed no sign of carrying out the work the Council then decided that it could move on to the next stages which are to prepare for and thereafter issue a formal Compulsory Purchase Order notice. Usually the owner will realise that it is better to agree a deal for the sale of the property. If he does not then the matter will be taken to an inquiry when the transfer of the property is considered. The value of the property, taking into account the estimated costs of repairs that are required, is decided and the final decision to allow and proceed with the CPO is then taken by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government.

The CPO is carried out by the Council who appoint the necessary experts and solicitors. In this case the Council has received a grant from Historic England to cover the costs of the CPO through to completion, so there will be no net cost to the council with the exception of some officer time.

The CPO could take up to 18 months with the Secretary of State undertaking the final sign off to complete the process.

Not to any great extent. The BRT for a long time tried the pragmatic approach of working with the owners to try to get the best outcome for the pier as well as for the local area and population. After many years of proposals with little following action it became apparent that the owner's plans for its associated Royal Pier Hotel site were economically unrealistic. We have wholeheartedly supported the concept of getting the ownership of Birnbeck Pier transferred to a not-for-profit organisation or a Local Authority who could invest in, restore and revitalise the pier for the benefit of the local community. Our last meeting with CNM was over two years ago when more suggestions were made and then not carried forward. Since then the BRT's relationship with the owners has become more remote and contact with them has become far more limited.

The present expert assessment is that the main supporting leg structures of the listed Birnbeck bridge can be salvaged and a new deck reinstated. The buildings will be subject to separate assessments to determine whether they can have a future in part or in whole.

Initially North Somerset Council, although it is presently expected that the RNLI will thereafter take ownership of Birnbeck Pier and Island.

These are early days of fresh discussions. There are proposals being made for the BRT to operate public access to the pier, managing visitors and any tolls collected. We hope to be involved in the planning to redevelop those elements of the pier infrastructure not associated with the operation of the lifeboat station in order to create a high-class tourist destination with facilities that would enable it to be financially self-sufficient whilst also generating sufficient surpluses to be able to keep the restored pier and infrastructure in prime condition.

It is all still there, safely banked. Some funds will be used to develop further planning, conduct studies and surveys and to seek grants and other funding opportunities aimed towards the reconstruction of the remaining elements of the pier infrastructure including the iconic Clock Tower, this part of the restoration project being a major objective for the Friends of the Old Pier Society.

This matter is subject to future negotiations and will also depend upon how much involvement the Trust will have in the redevelopment of the remaining elements of Birnbeck when the RNLI has completed the first stage of the works and reopened the lifeboat station. The cost of the entire reconstruction is likely to be in the range of millions, from previous experience we know that the process of applying for grants is extremely time consuming and in itself costs a certain amount of money, particularly for professional expert advice.

In the not-too-distant future we will be looking for additional trustees with specific development and financial skills to support scheme feasibility studies and oversee grant/fundraising opportunities. We will also be seeking more volunteers to staff a proposed new information and refreshment point as a temporary alternative to the existing Pier View, which is now in a seriously sorry state of repair. We also need more people to become involved with greater public engagement, assisting with giving talks and lectures about both the past history and the future development of the pier during and after the CPO and the initial reconstruction phase.

All the Trust can do is to advise you not to venture out to the island. Not only are the tides treacherous, whereby you can be cut off from returning within minutes, but there is a gate to the island which has a barbed wire wrap. Once on the island, there are holes in the surface where you could fall through, and buildings which are extremely unstable in multiple places.

If you take the decision to trespass on the island (particularly whilst alone) please consider that if you were to sustain a serious injury and no-one knows you are there, you could potentially die on the island, having not be found for some time. In the event you that could raise help, please think of those who would have to come and put their own lives at risk to rescue you. It’s simply not worth it.

If you want a photo of the site please ask - we have plenty - it’s not a playground out there.