Colwyn Bay pier: Knock it down or help it out?

Jan 15 2009 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

The debate rages ever onwards concerning Colwyn Bay’s run-down pier. Chief reporter RICHARD EVANS speaks to the owner, a pier conservationist and someone who thinks it should be demolished.

FIVE years into plans to refurbish Colwyn Bay’s Victoria Pier, the structure still stands in desperate need of investment and repair.

First opened in 1900, the pier and its pavilion and ballroom were once a focal point and social hub for tourism and a popular nightspot in the town.

Today the once grand building stands in the middle of a legal wrangle. Owner Steve Hunt is fighting a bankruptcy order in relation to business rate bills which Conwy County Council claims remain unpaid. The case is ongoing because of a dispute over how much is owed, and is due to be resolved in February at Conwy County Court.

Steve claims he has already invested £750,000 into the refurbishment of the structure since buying the pier for an undisclosed sum from previous owner Mike Paxman in December 2003. Steve also estimates another £3 million needs spending on improving the building and foundations to bring it up to the level needed.

Already Steve has knocked the pier’s 11 shop units into four stores, which now consist of a fishing tackle shop, cafe, bar and amusement arcade. The bar’s been completely refurbished and the toilets replaced. An art gallery and the ballroom’s art deco ceiling is currently work in progress, as are the constant repairs needed to decking and railings.

Steve explained why the pier remains so important to him, despite being a financial drain.

“I bought the pier as I have a passion for historic buildings, piers in particular,” said Steve. “I didn’t buy it to make a profit, I will probably never make a profit, it’s my money and I can do what I want with it.

“The pier is a very important part of Colwyn Bay’s heritage, it’s been there as long as the town has.

“I see a very interesting and important building in desperate need of help. It shouldn’t have been allowed to get in the state it has. The council should never have sold it in 1968, they should have found the funding. It has gone downhill since simply because the place costs more to run than it generates.”

However, the pier’s present condition has led to some calling for the Victoria Pier to be pulled down. One of the main issues of contention is the fact the pier remains in private ownership, and doesn’t qualify for various grants which may be available if it was in either public or charitable trust ownership.

David Curtis is secretary of the Old Colwyn East Residents’ Association and believes many would rather see the pier pulled down than left in its current state.

“There is a lot of support for the pier to be restored, and I would like to see it restored. But I wouldn’t like to see it in its present state for five or 10 more years,” he said.

“The council is trying to get funding to improve the whole of the promenade as part of the waterfront project, which encompasses the whole of the prom. That pier is standing in the way of getting funding because it’s privately owned.”

However, Steve Hunt argues the pier wouldn’t qualify for grants as it would never be a viable business plan.

“The Lottery is only interested in what the benefits are to the public and is it sustainable in the future?” said Steve.

Louise Foster, honorary secretary of the National Pier Society, hopes the pier can be saved.

“We want to preserve historical structures and everything that goes along with it,” she said.

“We want to preserve it for future generations, but we are also looking at ways piers can be used in the future, of different ways they can be used – as hotels, accommodation or for entertainment. They can have a different life.”

A regeneration partnership between Conwy County Council, the Assembly and the Bay Life Initiative is currently planning a £28 million project to improve the promenade between Rhos-on-Sea and Colwyn Bay. The project will see the waterfront improved to help attract tourists while also improving sea defences.

However, Steve claims he’s yet to be contacted by anyone about the plans despite the pier being a major part of the project.

“The council has identified £28 million for the waterfront project and another £5 million to improve links to the town. Nobody has approached me bearing in mind the pier is the largest single property on the waterfront covering an acre. Not talking to me is ignorant!”

A spokesman for the Bay Life initiative said he couldn’t comment but consultation was an ongoing process.