Birnbeck Pier project cliff face repair work starts

Work to repair the cliff face behind the landside buildings at Birnbeck Pier, part of North Somerset Council’s restoration project starts.

This is necessary to make the cliff face between Birkett Road the Pier Master’s Cottage safe, and needs to be undertaken in advance of the restoration of the buildings and the pier itself.

This involves highly skilled rope access specialists abseiling down the cliff face to carry out repairs including:

• removing any loose rocks and debris from the cliff face,
• installing steel anchor bolts at the top and base of the cliff,
• installing a new steel mesh safety netting system over the cliff face,
• removing the existing damaged railings at the top of the cliff on Birkett Road and installing a temporary edge protection system.

A small modern block building and wall at the base of the cliff will also be carefully demolished.

This work, which is being led by contractor Vertical Technology, is due to be completed by the end of November.

This is part of the project phase which is being funded from an allocation of £4.47m from the UK government, formerly known as the Levelling Up Fund.

Councillor Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s executive member responsible for the Birnbeck Pier project, said: “The first stage of this phase of work is going really well out on the island, so it’s great to see work starting on the landside now too. It’s particularly fitting that this is all happening this month, exactly 160 years after the foundation stone was laid when Birnbeck Pier was originally built.”

Arthur Parker, Contracts Manager at Vertical Technology, said: “We are very proud to be involved in such an exciting development. We know how much hard work has already gone into the project to get to this point, and it’s a privilege to be a part of bringing this historical site back to life.”

To find out more about the Birnbeck Pier project, visit the information hub next to the pier or the council’s website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/birnbeckpierproject.