Colwyn Bay Pier second meeting

Mar 11 2010 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

A SECOND public meeting to discuss the future of Colwyn Bay pier will be held later this month.

With the Victoria Pier’s future hanging in the balance after the company in control of it admitted it had no funds to maintain it, Clwyd West MP David Jones has arranged a follow-up to the initial meeting in January.

That meeting was so packed out that attendees were overflowing out of the door of the town hall into the street, so Mr Jones has organised the second meeting at nearby St Paul’s Church.

Mr Jones wants to set up a steering committee to establish a charitable trust to raise funds for the pier if it can be taken out of private ownership.

“Since the meeting in January I have met the chief executive of Conwy County Council and had a phone discussion with (former owner) Steve Hunt’s trustee in bankruptcy, who now holds legal title to the pier,” he said.

“I want to report back on options for the future of the pier and suggest that a steering committee be formed to take over the pier and seek to restore it.

“A number of people have said they’d be willing to serve on the committee.”

Mr Hunt was made bankrupt following a dispute with Conwy County Council over business rates. The pier’s control now lies with trustees Royce Peeling Green, who last week admitted they didn’t have the funds to carry out even basic repairs.

Such is the decline of the pier, Conwy Council is carrying out a structural survey, due to be completed in the next month.

Maintenance and restoration costs to the structure could run into millions.

Mr Jones says a conversation with Royce Peeling Green’s director Rod Wythenshaw indicated that the company may be willing, or forced, to give up control of the pier.

“The position as far as he is concerned is to maximise the value of the pier for the benefit of Mr Hunt’s creditors, and also Mr Wythenshaw’s own costs,” he said.

“The problem we’ve got is the cost of maintenance of the pier. Making it safe may cost more than the pier’s worth.

“Mr Wythenshaw may disclaim his trusteeship, and that could mean the title of the pier could return to Mr Hunt.

“But if an offer for the pier was made which Mr Wythenshaw thought was reasonable, he would accept. If a group of people in Colwyn Bay wanted to get together to buy the pier, Mr Wythenshaw would sell it at the right price.”

The public meeting will be at St Paul’s Church on March 26 at 6pm.