Government urged to save 'national treasure' pier

The government should do more to enable one of Britain's oldest seaside piers to reopen as soon as possible, a leisure company has said.

Southport Pier, which opened in 1860, has been closed since December 2022 over "serious health and safety" fears.

Silcock Leisure Group, which has operated attractions in Southport for decades, claimed everyone in the seaside resort had suffered as a result of the "national treasure" having been inaccessible for so long.

A government spokesperson said it was providing more money to councils and that local authorities were best placed to decide which projects to support.

The future of the pier remains in doubt due to an ongoing row about who should pay for its refurbishment.

Local residents previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the pier's closure had significantly affected Southport's leisure and tourism offer, with businesses saying it was "devastating".

Serena Silcock-Prince, from the family-run Silcock Leisure Group, said Southport had "come together and done whatever we can for each other" after the stabbing attack in July last year, in which three young girls were killed.

"Southport people have been through a lot," she said.

"We have shown the world that Southport is a small town with a really big heart.

"It has been brilliant to see Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer coming to visit Southport three times in recent months.

"Each time, he has said he is right behind Southport, and will give our town the support it needs.

"What we would all love to see is the funding required to reopen Southport Pier."

Ms Silcock Prince said every business in the town had been "affected in a negative way" by the closure and tourists had interpreted it as "Southport closed".

She said reopening the pier would give everyone "such a huge boost".

A new £73m Marine Lake Events Centre is due to replace the town's theatre on the seaside resort's promenade.

With construction work under way, Ms Silcock Prince said it would be a "huge miss" were the adjacent pier to remain shut.

She said Southport Pier was "far more than a local attraction", adding: "It is an historic national landmark that the government, and other national funding bodies, should be determined to restore and reopen as soon as possible.

"I am very hopeful it will happen. I am feeling positive."

A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said local authorities were best placed to decide what their communities needed, and which projects to prioritise.

"We recognise that the country's cultural and heritage assets play an essential role in communities," said the spokesperson.

"We are providing more money to councils to help them drive forward the government's Plan for Change through investment and reform, and to fix the foundations of local government."

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