The future of the second-longest pier in the UK hangs in the balance.
Southport Pier has been closed since the end of 2022 for safety reasons and the estimate for its restoration has risen to around £20m.
A debate has now broken out within the resort over whether that investment should be made. The owner of Southport’s Pleasureland theme park, Norman Wallis, questions the validity of Victorian piers in today’s society and a storm of protest has followed his open letter.
Local MP Patrick Hurley has gone on record as supporting the restoration, however, along with many local businessmen and residents.
Now the local council is wrestling with the problem, seeking to raise funds to restore the pier against a backdrop of the need for investment in other pressing local needs.
The council has said that it is currently engaged in talks with private investors and charitable foundations about raising the necessary capital.