Restoration work on historic pier 'astonishing'

A crumbling historic pier which is currently undergoing a major restoration will reopen next summer, a council leader has said.

The Grade II*-listed Birnbeck Pier, in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, closed to the public in 1994 due to safety concerns, and has since been battered by storms.

North Somerset Council leader Mike Bell said: "At the moment [we are] 100% confident. We're on time, on budget, you can see the progress they're making. It's astonishing."

A quarter of the pier is now restored, with the remaining deck spans being installed over the coming months.

Work to create a new cultural space, restore the historic clock tower and turnstiles, repair the 1888 boathouse and renovate the pavilion buildings began in February.

Bell said: "We're about a quarter of the way down on the build now. It brings to life we're doing it, we're refurbishing and restoring the pier. It will reopen next year."

"It's one of the biggest heritage projects in the country at the moment.

"I'm really confident we're going to deliver and it's going to make a huge difference to Weston-super-Mare.

"The benefit it'll have in terms of heritage, culture, tourism and the wider economy in Weston will far outweigh the cost of doing it," he added.

Gary Page, operations director at Mackley Construction, which is carrying out the work on the pier, said: "It's a challenging project because it's not like something that's been done before.

"We're planning to work right through the winter.

"We're pleased with the progress, we've got the temporary works out the way now," he added.

The pier is the only one in the UK to connect the mainland to an island.

The £44m funding for the restoration project has come from the UK Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Heritage Memorial Fund and Historic England.

Birnbeck, known locally as 'The Old Pier', first opened in 1867.

It used to be a very popular visitor attraction with funfairs, rides and steamer ferries.

Over the years there have been multiple attempts to restore the pier, and North Somerset Council almost scrapped the restoration project in September 2025 after the RNLI pulled out.

However, the National Lottery Heritage Fund stepped in shortly after to fill a £5.5m gap.

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