Campaign group chairman unveils new plan to save Colwyn Bay Pier
THE HEAD of a Colwyn Bay campaign group has unveiled a new plan to save the town's Victoria Pier.
Mark Roberts, who took over as chairman of the Colwyn Bay Victoria Pier Trust at the group's AGM this month, said he will push for the pier to be dismantled in order to examine all of its components and their viability.
Mr Roberts, a freelance planning and environmental law consultant, said once the components have been properly examined and cleaned or replaced, the trust will have a much better idea of the true condition of the structure, and therefore how much work will be required to restore it.
He said: "Nobody seems to know with any degree of clarity what the condition of the pier is, in the previous admission by the council there were conflicting reports - that was ultimately one of the reasons demolition was refused.
"The direction we're going is to dismantle the pier - dismantling is not demolition.
"It is a concept in listed building legislation case law whereby you have the building dismantled and take the individual elements away - you can look at them to see if they need replacing, cleaning or fixing.
"The idea is to have a temporary structure erected where you can take these elements to see if they have longevity. If not they will need to be replaced.
"It has to be one continuous process, you can't dismantle it and leave it in storage."
Mr Roberts, who has 40 years of experience in town and country planning, has worked for local authorities on a number of projects across the UK including the regeneration of Castell Deudracth for Gwynedd County Council and the Gas Street Canal Basin regeneration scheme for Birmingham City Council, as well as projects Snowdonia National Park Authority.
He added he hopes in the long term to form connections with educational establishments across North Wales such as colleges, to use the pier as an opportunity for heritage related education.
Mr Roberts, 62, also said the trust had already begun looking into different grants and funding avenues to continue its work, and that conversation had already begun with Conwy County Borough Council to seek permission for dismantling the structure.
He added: "This is for the community, it's not for any individual. The ultimate objective is to make sure the pier is saved for future generations and the present one."
http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/160336/campaign-group-chairman-unveils-new-plan-to-save-colwyn-bay-pier.aspx