Angry reaction to call for Colwyn Bay pier demolitionMar 31 2011 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly NewsCOLWYN Bay Civic Society has been criticised for calling for the town’s pier to be demolished. Last week the historical group labelled the pier a “tawdry apparition from the past” and argued that any attempt to restore it would be a waste of time and money.
Historian Graham Roberts is president of the Civic Society and has this week been criticised by the National Piers Society. Mr Roberts , who has had several books published on his home town, claimed the pier was detrimental to the regeneration effort and that spending millions on its restoration was not justifiable.
Chris Wyatt from the National Piers Society claimed Mr Roberts’ comments were galling.
“I found the whole tone of Graham Roberts’ statements completely at odds with the philosophy of the Civic Society movement,” he said.
“His statements – such as ‘You can’t live on nostalgia’ – might be expected from someone with no interest in Wales’ heritage, but coming from the president of a civic society, the majority of whose members we are led to believe are of a similar opinion regarding the pier, leads one to question whether they might be more comfortable in a different organisation altogether.” He added: “This must be particularly galling for the people of Colwyn Bay who have been fighting very hard to rescue their pier in the face of the extremely difficult situation surrounding its ownership. To suggest young people have no appreciation of the importance of preserving their heritage and are ‘not bothered about an old pier’ underlines how out of touch with reality Mr Roberts is.”
But Mr Roberts stuck by his views. “Those people who feel the pier’s time is up have not been as eager to put their views forward as have those who wish for the pier to remain,” he said. “We are all on the same side, we all want what’s best for Colwyn Bay. I’ve been overwhelmed by those who have agreed with my views.”
The pier is currently a thorn in the side of an effort to regenerate the promenade. Millions of pounds are being invested in the sea front but a stalemate over the pier’s ownership means it remains in the hands of creditors Royce Peeling Green, who are not maintaining the structure.
A council safety report has already deemed the pier unsafe. The survey estimates the cost of demolishing the pier would be around £1.2 million, with total restoration starting at around £5.5 million.
http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2011/03/31/angry-reaction-to-call-for-colwyn-bay-pier-demolition-55243-28431875/