Birnbeck Pier’s restoration has been dramatically saved, just as North Somerset councillors prepared to vote on cancelling the project. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has pledged £5.5 million to fill a critical funding gap left by the RNLI, which withdrew its support at the end of June.
The RNLI had planned to invest £5.5 million to return its Weston-super-Mare lifeboat station to Birnbeck Island but pulled out due to concerns about the project’s viability. This left the council facing the prospect of halting restoration work on the Victorian pier, a flagship regeneration initiative for Weston-super-Mare.
At a full council meeting, Mark Canniford, the cabinet member overseeing the project, expressed his delight at the late break in funding. “We made a promise to work right up until the last minute,” he said.
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Despite the RNLI’s withdrawal, ongoing works funded by the Levelling Up Fund on the landside of the pier have continued. Thanks to the new funding, councillors unanimously voted—with three abstentions—to accept the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s grant and to award the restoration contract to J. T. Mackley.
Clare Hunt, chair of the council, emphasized the project’s significance, stating, “This is not just a local issue. This has received funding because it is of national importance.” Council leader Mike Bell described the announcement as “unexpected and last minute, but absolutely the product of hard work,” calling it “a real vote of confidence in the project.”
The RNLI has played a crucial role throughout the project, initially contributing £400,000 to help the council purchase the pier in 2023, underscoring the longstanding partnership behind this vital restoration.