Poll

What should be done with Colwyn Bay Pier?

Demolish it
Carry out basic renovation (spend up to £5m)
Carry out comprehensive renovation, including all buildings (spend up to £10m)

Author Topic: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier  (Read 386076 times)

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Offline Merddin Emrys

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #240 on: June 15, 2011, 09:18:44 am »
The bizarre world of online media...!

Nemesis is a bird, and Poppy is a bloke........  well, who knew!!

Now I'm puzzled  :o  L0L  in our house Poppy is a bird!
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Offline Blodyn

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #241 on: June 15, 2011, 10:14:33 am »
Fester, I hope your faculties are not too clouded to give us the eagerly awaited result of your weigh-in?  This hunger strike is a serious business and the world (or at least the Forum) needs to know how you're getting on!


Offline Ian

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #242 on: June 15, 2011, 10:22:32 am »
Technically, of course, if you're on "Hunger Strike", doesn't that mean you're actually eating? When folk strike, I've always thought they stop doing the thing which the strike is about. Perhaps 'Burger strike" might be more appropriate?   


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Offline Trojan

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #243 on: June 15, 2011, 05:37:37 pm »
 *&( analogy.  :)

Offline Fester

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #244 on: June 16, 2011, 12:18:07 am »
Fester, I hope your faculties are not too clouded to give us the eagerly awaited result of your weigh-in?  This hunger strike is a serious business and the world (or at least the Forum) needs to know how you're getting on!

Thank you Blodyn...  thanks for your concern.
I shall ignore my detractors, (Ian and Trojan) and stick to the facts.

After my strenuous hunger strike of over a week now, I weighed myself yesterday, and interestingly I had put TWO POUNDS ON!
I can only put this down to my body going into 'starvation mode'
Obviously it is trying desperately to cling on to any shred of energy and nutrition that remains.
Could water retention be another possibility?

I can't attribute this anomaly to Wetherspoons Breakfasts, or McDonalds Burgers, because Dave R told me that they were somewhat unsubstantial.

If I carry on like this, I will be a very healthy 16 stone or suchlike by the time CCBC are forced to cave in and hand over the pier to me.
In light of this grea accomplishment, I shall treat myself to a family sized bag of Maltesers tonight.  (The lighter way to enjoy chocolate apparently)
Fester...
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Offline Trojan

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #245 on: June 16, 2011, 02:20:56 am »
I think we need a new thread here

The long running saga of Fester's hunger strike  L0L

Offline DaveR

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #246 on: June 16, 2011, 10:19:07 am »
Jun 16 2011
by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

COLWYN Bay’s Victoria Pier could be transformed into a top music centre, wedding venue, restaurant and confectionery factory – following the grade two listed building’s future finally looking to be secure. Conwy’s cabinet voted last week to obtain the freehold from trustees in bankruptcy Royce Peeling Green before leasing it to the Shore Thing social enterprise group to manage.

Once acquired back in public hands, Lottery grant bids and funding pots will target the £6.5 million needed to regenerate the derelict Victorian structure. Made up of a committee of six volunteers, Shore Thing, who have worked closely with the Pier Pressure Group, hope to run the pier as a not for profit company where any money made is reinvested back into the business.

Jay Martin is on the board and was instrumental in setting up the Llandudno Junction-based Crest Co-operative social enterprise, which helps get people back into work. Jay, who also now works for Conwy Furniture Reclaim, a similar scheme, hopes to use his experience to transform the pier into a fully self-financing thriving tourist business – which also helps get people back into work.

“The idea is that the pier will be a not for profit venture where all the money gets poured back in,” said Jay.
“One of the biggest concerns is the on-going maintenance. Every year a chunk of money will be put aside to make sure it is maintained. We are very confident it will make money as a social enterprise.
“The whole concept will be a social enterprise offering volunteer opportunities – that means people socially or economically excluded.
“We are talking of a training restaurant and a cafe as well as a confectionery outlet where everything is made on site as a tourist attraction so you can buy toffee and fudge made on the pier and make it labour intensive so people can see the stuff being made and buy it.”
Jay also hinted the long-neglected pier pavilion could become a top music or wedding venue.
“Once the pavilion is refurbished we are talking of the pier being a wedding venue,” he said.
“There are other piers that do that very successfully offering a unique venue for a wedding.
“There is not a music venue of any decent size in Colwyn Bay. We know there is a vibrant young people’s music scene and we want to actually get involved in that. The whole idea of saving the pier is to turn it into a community based asset and to engage all and give inclusion right across the board. These are just concept ideas being thrown around. Nothing is set in stone at the moment.”
The voluntary directors of Shore Thing are working closely with business development and project consultants, Ian Parkin Associates, and Conwy to prepare a comprehensive business plan around the social enterprise concept. This business plan will be used to inform applications for grant investment.

Jay said the future now looked bright for the pier which had long been written-off by many.
“These are absolutely exciting times. It is still early days but we are moving in the right direction,” he said.
“We are chuffed to bits that the local authority have seen something worth pursuing in this concept and voting in favour to acquire which is good news and this should be good news for the community.”

http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/06/16/colwyn-bay-pier-55243-28884135/

Offline Blodyn

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #247 on: June 17, 2011, 10:08:36 pm »
After my strenuous hunger strike of over a week now, I weighed myself yesterday, and interestingly I had put TWO POUNDS ON!
I can only put this down to my body going into 'starvation mode'
Obviously it is trying desperately to cling on to any shred of energy and nutrition that remains.
Could water retention be another possibility?

Well done Fester, that's very impressive!

Water retention could be a problem and you really need to look after your health.  However don't worry, alcohol has some diuretic effects so perhaps you should take a little - purely for medicinal purposes!

Offline Ian

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #248 on: June 18, 2011, 07:51:28 am »
Quote
Conwy’s cabinet voted last week to obtain the freehold from trustees in bankruptcy Royce Peeling Green before leasing it to the Shore Thing social enterprise group to manage.

This is good news, of course, but there are a few questions.  One is why only eight cabinet members made the binding decision to buy the pier, and the other - I suppose - is the cost. The risk CCBC is taking is significant and there are more than a few worried councillors. The risk they ran by leaving it as it was was also significant, so there are no easy answers.  It's to be hoped that Shore Thing can bring at least a modicum of business acumen to the project and - ultimately - buy the pier from the council.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline DaveR

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #249 on: June 18, 2011, 09:08:52 am »
That news article was incorrect, the decision to buy the Pier was taken at a Full Meeting of Council and the vote was 31 - 1 in favour of buying the Pier.  So maybe those 'worried Councillors' weren't worried enough to either attend or vote against the proposal?

Offline DaveR

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #250 on: June 18, 2011, 07:54:58 pm »
Whoever takes the Pier on has a lot of neglect to deal with. Could be quite an exciting challenge in many ways...


Neglect by davidrobertsphotography, on Flickr

Offline Fester

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #251 on: June 19, 2011, 12:31:42 am »
It will be easy to sort out... get MP Marine, from Cumbria on the job ....

There isn't even much in the way of tidal activity to worry about,  (like there is on Llandudno Pier) they will be able to do 12 hour shifts.


Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline DaveR

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #252 on: June 19, 2011, 08:35:58 am »
That's a good point. The sand around the entire pier is solid enough that it can be driven on by an access platform, enabling jobs such as painting etc to be carried out without the need for scaffolding.

Offline SDQ

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #253 on: June 19, 2011, 04:02:27 pm »
In these PC days of Health & Safety at work it probably wouldn't be allowed to do it that way & scaffolding would probably be demanded owing to the height of the pier. Surely before painting they would need to shotblast the old paint/rust etc.. to check the state of the base metal & apply a decent undercoat otherwise it wouldn't last 5 minutes in such wet & salty conditions.
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Offline Yorkie

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Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #254 on: June 19, 2011, 05:02:29 pm »
They could sand-blast which would save money on clearing up after!    :D
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