THE RNLI has pulled out of the multi-million pound project to restore Birnbeck Pier in Weston – leaving the ambitious scheme in jeopardy – in a move branded “shocking” by a town leader.
Late last week (June 27), the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) informed North Somerset Council (NSC) ‘they no longer wish to be involved in the delivery of the project’, which would have seen the landmark Weston-Super-Mare pier brought back to life.
“This breaks the collaboration that the RNLI entered into with North Somerset Council and leaves the phase of work to restore the pier structure in jeopardy, with a £5m shortfall which the RNLI had previously agreed to fund,” an NSC spokesperson said.
“North Somerset Council continues to have the full support of its other funding partners.
“It worked hard to secure over £20m in external funding to support the project which includes £10.2m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, £5.4m from the UK government (former Levelling Up Fund), £3.55m from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (through the UK government’s Cultural Assets Fund) and £1m from Historic England.”
It means a planned vote to award the contract for the restoration work – due to be held at a Full Council meeting on July 8 – has been withdrawn “as a direct result of the RNLI decision”, the spokesperson added.
However, the RNLI said it did not have “the confidence needed in the funding or contractual structure to deliver the pier repair project to completion”.
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Councillor Mike Bell, leader of NSC, said: “This is a shocking decision that breaks faith with residents, volunteers and everyone who has worked so hard to secure a future for Birnbeck Pier.
“We feel very let down, as I’m sure many residents will too. For the RNLI, one of our critical partners in this project, to pull their support just days before we were looking to award the contract to restore the Birnbeck Pier structure feels like a real abdication of responsibility to our community.
“Just 24 hours ago, Birnbeck Pier’s future was bright with funding in place, all partners on board, a clear funding plan, and robust independent evidence confirming this project is viable, deliverable, and set to bring lasting economic and social benefits to Weston-super-Mare and our region.
“The RNLI has long said that Birnbeck Island is the safest place from which to launch lifeboats and save lives. Yet today’s decision risks undermining that purpose. After years of collaboration and planning, it is hard to understand why the RNLI would choose to walk away at this critical moment.
“Despite challenges created by the RNLI’s decision, I want to reassure residents that the council, along with our funding partners – The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the UK government, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Historic England – and the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust – remain committed to saving Birnbeck Pier.
“We will work with determination to find solutions and close this funding gap so the project can move forward.
“Birnbeck Pier is a treasured part of our shared heritage and a symbol of Weston’s past and future. In just two years since taking ownership of the pier, we have made more progress than in the past three decades in private hands. We will not allow this progress to stall.
“Importantly, this decision does not affect the delivery of other phases of the wider project, and work on the landside buildings will begin next month.”
Work is underway on plans to restore Birnbeck Pier in Weston. Picture: Mark Robinson
The news comes after an independent Outline Business Case (OBC) for the pier, in line with HM Treasury Green Book standards, reported on the financial viability of the project.
The OBC concluded that: “Overall there is strong evidence that the Birnbeck Pier project is viable and deliverable and will realise long-term economic and wider benefits for Weston-super-Mare and the region.
“It will also protect a highly valuable, nationally significant heritage asset and enable the RNLI to use Birnbeck Island to optimise its ability to save lives on this busy part of the British coast.”
The RNLI has a long relationship with Birnbeck Pier, having been based there for many years, before leaving in 2014 due to safety concerns, and currently operates from a temporary station by Marine Lake.
A new RNLI lifeboat station was a key part of the Birnbeck restoration plan.
But Peter Sparkes, chief executive of the RNLI, said the scheme represented an “unacceptable on-going financial risk”.
“While this has been a difficult decision, we believe it is the right thing to do for the charity, our supporters and the community we serve,” he said. “We are incredibly proud of our volunteers and remain committed to retaining a lifesaving presence in Weston-super-Mare.
“Alongside the other funders we have invested money, time and resource to get the project to this stage with belief it would support the delivery of our core purpose, to save lives at sea.
“Regrettably, following the viability review, the charity does not have the confidence needed in the funding or contractual structure to deliver the pier repair project to completion, or in the plan to ensure that the long term, ongoing maintenance costs associated with the historic pier will be met.
“Investing donors’ money in a pier restoration project that is not fully funded, with insufficient risk contingency to ensure the project reaches completion, would present an unacceptable on-going financial risk, as would investing donors’ money in a lifeboat station on the Island which is only accessible by a pier for which there is no viable long term maintenance plan.
“The RNLI entered into talks and a collaboration agreement with North Somerset Council with the best intentions and it is with regret that we have come to this decision but as a charity, our donors give us their money in trust, and we have a duty of care to spend this money in a way that enables us to save lives for many years to come.
“I would like to acknowledge our remarkable volunteers at Weston RNLI, who have contributed hugely to this project in time, expertise and passion, all while maintaining a lifesaving service from their temporary facilities at Knightstone.
“I want to assure them that the RNLI is committed to securing a permanent lifesaving facility in Weston-super-Mare for their work.
“We have a responsibility to them, and our donors to ensure their money is invested in the right places and that the decisions we make now set us on a sustainable trajectory that is appropriate for the lifesaving needs of our communities.
“We will continue to work with our lifesaving volunteers, and North Somerset Council to determine next steps.”
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