Council chiefs 'committed' to saving Southport pier but leader won't be drawn on timetable

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Council chiefs have pledged their commitment to the future of Southport's historic pier after engineers recommended "significant" repairs.

But the leader of Sefton Council refused to be drawn on a timetable for the necessary work during a meeting. The Grade II listed pier, including its café and arcade, was shut late last year on health and safety grounds after structural damage was found.

The attraction, which opened in 1860, remains closed with no reopening date in sight. Sefton Council's leader Cllr Ian Maher spoke at a full council meeting held at Southport Town Hall last night (July 13) where several questions and two motions on the pier were submitted as well as a council report providing an update.

The report, which was included on the agenda at short notice due to the “urgency and sensitivity” of the project, gave an interim update on work carried out by structural engineers to assess the integrity of the pier. Read more: The much-loved seaside resort facing summer without its most famous attraction It stated that the council is still waiting on a full report to be provided after a full structural survey was carried out but that “sufficient feedback had now been received”.