The Queen's Pier Story .. .. ..
The Editor,
Isle of Man Examiner, 28th April 2005
Dear Sir,
Rarely do we get the opportunity of two bites
at the cherry so Mr Cringle and Mr.Harthill's
pieces on the same page (24) just cried out for
a response.
1st Mr Harthill (On your Doorstep).
Of course all views on the Queen's Pier are
welcome even his misguided opinion that it
should be sold for scrap and the "proceeds" used
for some other enlightened project. If he had
stopped to think he would have worked out that
his pet project would kick off with a £10
Million pound deficit. This is the cost of
removing the Pier and paying someone to take
away the "produce!" There will be no residual
scrap value believe me. To this negative sum
must of course be added the massive legal costs
of the inevitable public enquiry, both here and
in Europe, when and if someone is daft enough to
try and destroy a building that is on the Manx
Register of Protected Buildings. Besides all
this we note with amusement the chosen venue for
the accompanying photograph which simply proves
the landscape value of our dear Pier.
Now Mr Cringle,
A good Friend of Queen's Pier, what do you
know that we do not?
We have been trying for years to get Tynwald
to be given the opportunity of coming to
decision. Minister Brown succeeded in fudging
the issue during his term of office and it looks
very much as though the present incumbent is
doing the same. We were told on April Fools day
2003 that:-
"The meeting agreed the need to identify a
single refurbishment scheme, costed and compared
with the only alternative option which is the
complete demolition of the Pier. The Department
would then be in a position to make a clear
recommendation to Tynwald on the future of the
Pier and seek the necessary funds for the chosen
solution!" "Mr Shimmin agreed that the
Department would facilitate this work during the
current year!"
This extract is from DoT's own Press release
dd 11th April 2003. These costings have been in
place since the summer of 2004 and still we
wait!
Terry concludes with "one day soon Tynwald
will have a hard decision to make.." Oh would
that that was true.
Meanwhile the poor old Pier sails on through
even last January's storms unscathed with her
owners blatantly in breach of Registered
Buildings Legislation, and such breaches are
allowed to go unchallenged by the very
architects of the Legislation.
Sincerely,
Fred Hodgson
Chairman of Friend's of Queen's Pier
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