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 386194 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Fester

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 6660
  • El Baldito
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #315 on: March 28, 2012, 11:11:28 pm »
''Funding will now be sought to redevelop the landmark which once hosted performers such as Morecambe and Wise, Harry Secombe and Elvis Costello''

Ahem.... and the mighty MOTORHEAD,  (admittedly before they were mighty)

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

Offline TheMedz

  • Ad Free Member
  • *
  • Posts: 701
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #316 on: March 29, 2012, 08:17:20 am »
If Motorhead played their now, with the current state of the pier, you get the feeling they might find themselves falling through and playing on the beach.


Offline DaveR

  • Administrator
  • Posts: 13712
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #317 on: March 29, 2012, 08:42:14 am »
The price paid for the Pier was £36,000.

A CRUMBLING pier’s future looks brighter after a council bought it.

Conwy County Council has bought Colwyn Bay’s Victoria Pier from the Crown Estate with a £36,000 grant from the Welsh Government.

It ends a long ownership wrangle just weeks before Heritage Lottery Fund chiefs announce whether they will fund the pier’s redevelopment.

But Colwyn Bay Civic Society said the new owner is “immaterial” and the pier should be scrapped.


Conwy County Council yesterday said it has bought the 112-year-old structure, with Welsh Government help, as part of the multi-million pound regeneration programme in the town.

Conwy’s chief executive Iwan Davies said: “Acquiring the pier is not without risks, but the Council has assessed likely scenarios and decided taking control now is less risky than standing by and doing nothing. We’ll work closely with community enterprise Shore Thing to make sure we can make progress in a constructive and positive way.”

Conwy Council and Shore Thing will now be able to “progress with applications for funding the restoration and redevelopment of Victoria Pier”.

On the new ownership, Clwyd West AM Darren Millar Tweeted: “It’s great news!”

And Chris Jackson, North Wales Tourism chairman, called the ownership news a “good thing”. He said: “We needed to see clarity because the pier is a blot on that beautiful bay. It either needs to be renovated or taken down.

“I wish the council every success in their application for Lottery funding.

“To be successful they will have to have a sensible and practical business plan to make sure it is sustainable.”

Graham Roberts, Colwyn Bay Civic Society president, said: “The pier’s ownership is immaterial. It’s like ‘pass the parcel’. We had a secret ballot and 75% of the society decided sadly its days are over – and still would do.

“How can you justify even £1m to bring it down and not spend the money on schools, roads and hospitals?”

Clwyd West MP David Jones warned the next step could be costly. He said: “If the council does not obtain the funding it could be compelled to restore the pier by (historic buildings body) Cadw. Or it could ask Cadw to consent to its demolition. Either way, the council tax payer will end up footing the bill.”

On the ownership change, community group Shore Thing’s Jay Martin said: “It’s a good step to get it into public ownership. But it’s still a small step.”

Observers posted Facebook messages about the ownership change.

On the page ‘Daily Post Conwy’ David Roberts wrote: “It’s great news. It’s a problem that needs to be dealt with, and CCBC are best placed to do that.”

Abdul Khan called for funding to restore it.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have provided £36,000 to enable Conwy Council to take ownership of the pier from the Crown Estate. This will enable the council to include the Grade II Listed Victorian structure in its regeneration plans.”

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2012/03/29/crumbling-pier-is-bought-55578-30648473/

Offline Fester

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 6660
  • El Baldito
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #318 on: March 29, 2012, 09:49:46 am »
Who benefits from the £36,000?

Is it to cover the administrators costs, or I wonder if Mr Hunt will receive it?

Neither concerns me, and I would be happy if he did get a little something, I was just wondering...
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline DaveR

  • Administrator
  • Posts: 13712
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #319 on: March 29, 2012, 10:05:11 am »
It all goes to the Crown Estate, I imagine. Since the Administrators washed their hands of it, I assume they also waived the right to receive any proceeds in the event of a sale.

Offline Ian48

  • Member
  • Posts: 122
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #320 on: March 29, 2012, 10:09:15 am »
I am all for the regeneration of places, but I am not sure that Colwyn Bay pier is somewhere that can be restored that easily. What will it become? There was talk of a theatre, but we already have Venue Cymru 5 miles down the road and Theatr Colwyn has just been refurbished. Is there really the market for another theatre?

I think the funds needed to restore it (which will all be from the public purse), will far outweigh what it will ever bring in. Essentially, it's a complete rebuild that is needed, the planking, the buildings at the front, probably even the pavilion itself, all need a complete rebuild. Is it worth it? It was a pier without a genuine purpose even when it was built, as it's never been really reachable by boats.

Should we really be pumping money into something that even when built was a bit of a whimsy?

Offline Bri Roberts

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 3099
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #321 on: March 29, 2012, 10:16:15 am »
I wonder if it may turn out to be cheaper in our pockets to renovate the pier with grant funding rather than demolishing the pier altogether with council  tax money provided by us.

Offline DaveR

  • Administrator
  • Posts: 13712
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #322 on: March 29, 2012, 05:07:19 pm »
I think the Pier has a lot of potential, in both offering facilities for visitors during the Summer months and as a community facility all year round. As a business, it would struggle. As a charity-run operation, it should be sustainable, in my view.

CCBC have fenced off the front of the Pier and put up more warning notices:

Offline Fester

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 6660
  • El Baldito
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #323 on: March 29, 2012, 08:23:23 pm »
My question over who gets the £36,000 still stands.

When you relinquish something as an 'onerous asset' as the administrators did, then you lose any rights to benefit financially from it.
The Crown Estate have dome nothing to secure it or improve it, so once again, I doubt if they could justifiably claim £36,000.

I am not given to FOI requests, but I think that this may be the only means of getting to the bottom of this.

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

Offline poppy

  • Member
  • Posts: 52
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #324 on: March 30, 2012, 09:04:34 am »
Mr Hunt has tweeted that it has not been sold as the Crown cannot sell something they don't own. He states the matter is in court on 23rd April. He further states he was with the police and council when the new signs were being put up a few days ago.
He may have been quiet for a while but he's still singing the same song..  :P

Offline DaveR

  • Administrator
  • Posts: 13712
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #325 on: March 30, 2012, 09:46:07 am »
He would obviously be happy for the pier to collapse into the sea rather than it be restored by someone else.

Amazing how he can afford all these legal fees but couldn't afford to pay his rates in the first place...

Offline DaveR

  • Administrator
  • Posts: 13712
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #326 on: April 02, 2012, 09:55:08 pm »
 $fan$

Statement
Heritage Lottery Fund statement - Colwyn Bay Victoria Pier, Conwy
Wednesday 28 March 2012     

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has assessed a £4.9m application from Conwy Borough County Council (CBCC) towards the restoration of Grade II listed Colwyn Bay Victoria Pier. After careful consideration, it was decided the Fund was unable to support the project.

Jennifer Stewart, Head of HLF Wales, said:
“We were impressed with the Council’s imaginative plans to transform Colwyn Bay Victoria Pier and its Art Deco pavilion into a much-needed community and tourist centre.
“This month’s HLF Board meeting was very over-subscribed.  The quality of bids was exceptionally high and, regretfully, we just didn’t have enough money to support all the applications we looked at on the day.  We will be meeting with representatives from the Council shortly to discuss the best way forward for their project.”

 
Background
To date, HLF has made awards in Conwy totalling £8.5m.
CBBCC has received previous grants totalling £5.8m for a number of HLF Townscape Heritage Initiative and parks projects.

Notes to editors

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.  HLF has supported more than 30,000 projects allocating over £4.5billion across the UK, including more than 2,000 projects totalling over £217million in Wales.

 
Further information

Please contact Katie Owen, HLF Press Office, on tel: 020 7591 6036 mob: 07973 613 820

 

Offline John Oddy

  • Member
  • Posts: 33
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #327 on: April 02, 2012, 11:02:29 pm »
I've only just blogged about this, my fears are that if funding is not available we, the tax payers, are going to get lumbered with the upkeep of it.

http://voicesofcolwynbay.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/not-so-sure-thing.html

Offline dwsi

  • Member
  • Posts: 713
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #328 on: April 02, 2012, 11:57:41 pm »
Pier campaign down but not out | Darren Millar AM http://bit.ly/HFNGtD

Offline John Oddy

  • Member
  • Posts: 33
Re: The long running saga of Colwyn Bay Pier
« Reply #329 on: April 03, 2012, 12:41:39 am »
That really instills me with confidence.... _))*