BCP Council Confirms First Phase of Bournemouth Pier Protection Project

Work to remove the timber landing stages from Bournemouth Pier is due to begin on 21 September as part of a wider project to protect the iconic landmark.

The removal is being prioritised following a specialist engineering inspection, which found that the deteriorating landing stages pose an immediate risk to people using the water below and to the pier’s concrete substructure.

The first phase of work is the removal of approximately 600 metal floor grilles which form the floor of the lower level of timber landing stages. Each one weighs around half a ton and will be carefully dismantled by a specialist contractor.

Specialist safety equipment will be used to access the lower landing stages, carefully remove the metal grilles and lift them onto the pier using a compact crane. The work is expected to take around 11 to 12 weeks to complete.

So that the pier can remain open during the day, and keep disruption to residents, visitors and businesses to a minimum, most of the work will take place overnight, Monday to Friday, between 11pm and 8am.

Cllr Richard Herrett, BCP Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for the seafront said:

Bournemouth Pier means a great deal to local people and is loved by visitors from across the country.

We know people want to see it fully restored - and so do we. But recent tender information has shown the full programme would cost far more than the funding currently available.

That means we need to be realistic about what can be achieved with the funding available.

Our immediate priority is the most urgent safety works – not only to protect the Pier itself, but primarily for the safety of those in the water, close to or directly below the Pier.

This is not the end of the conversation about Bournemouth Pier’s future, but it is the responsible first step with the funding available.

Further stages of work, involving the removal of the timber structures that form the landing stages and repairs to the concrete substructure will need to follow, with updates provided ahead of each future phase of work.