A council is set to abandon its flagship project to restore a Victorian seaside pier after the RNLI reversed its decision to provide £5.5m towards the work.

The North Somerset Council project would have led to the restoration of Birnbeck Pier in Weston-Super-Mare.

Known as ‘the old pier’ in the town it’s construction started in 1864 but it was closed to the public more than 30 years ago. It is the only pier in the UK to link the mainland with an island, connecting the seaside town to Birnbeck Island in the Bristol channel.

The RNLI had committed the funding to the project to develop a lifeboat station on the Island, but in June it announced it would pull out following “a thorough analysis of the Birnbeck Pier and Island business case, tender proposal and proposed building contract terms”.

At a meeting of the council to take place on 16 September councillors will discuss a report calling to close the project. This details a failure by the local authority fill the funding gap left following the RNLI’s U-Turn.

“Birnbeck Pier is a unique treasure – Grade II* Listed and the only pier in the country that links to an island,” said North Somerset Council cabinet member Councillor Mark Canniford

“Our ambition to restore the pier remains undimmed, but the current funding gap has slowed our immediate progress.

“Following the decision by RNLI headquarters to withdraw, we’ve continued to work hard in partnership with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Historic England, to identify solutions to progress with the restoration of the pier structure.

“We have spoken directly to central government, had strong support from the local MP, Dan Aldridge, and other potential investment partners.”

“Failing a new funding commitment coming forward in the next few days, it is with genuine regret and disappointment that the report going before full council will see the effective closure of the project to restore Birnbeck Pier for now.

“Simply put, we have been unable to fill the £5.5m funding gap left by the RNLI, so cannot move forward.”

RNLI chief executive Peter Sparkes said in June when the charity announced it would not fund the project that “whilst this has been a difficult decision, we believe it is the right thing to do for the charity, our supporters and the community we serve”.

He added: “Regrettably, following the viability review, the charity does not have the confidence needed in the funding or contractual structure to deliver the pier repair project to completion, or in the plan to ensure that the long term, ongoing maintenance costs associated with the historic pier will be met.”

---