The Queen's Pier Story .. .. ..

July 2003

There will be no Open Day for the Pier this year.

A lot has been happening in the Press and on the Radio as well as more formally by your Committee. So let me briefly bring you up to date.

No sooner had my words of optimism and hope been expressed at the Annual General Meeting than news came that the Department of Transport was trying remove the protection afforded by Registration lifted. This was allegedly to enable a more 'flexible approach' to the necessary repairs following years of neglect. Happily after our strong representations to Dept. of Local Government, who are responsible for such matters, this plan was shelved. We are grateful to the Dept for their ready assistance and guidance.

We advised the Transport Minister that we would support partial refurbishment as a way forward and took the opportunity to repeat our offer to discuss a practical solution that would give the Manx Nation a Pier that could be used at a price that we could afford. This fell on stony ground.

So to "DoT Plan B." Get the Health & Safety Legislation to make a Prohibition Order on the grounds of Public Safety. This was done by Press release of 6th December stating work to be completed by February 2003. Your Committee immediately expressed concern that the proposed works went much further than required and sought confirmation that any work would be in accordance with the Governments own published guidelines for Registered Structures. We requested that DoLGE monitored all permitted works closely.

Despite the urgency of the Prohibition Notice it was some two months before the required Planning Application (RB154) was submitted. We understand that the Planning Department was inundated with objections to the proposals which, again, went much further than strictly necessary and involved removal of serviceable items which could as easily be refurbished and replaced. Thanks are due to all of you who took the trouble to object in the constructive manner that you did.

The outcome was that after much exchange of correspondence between the Planners and DoT "the application was returned by the Department of Local Government without it ever being considered by the Planning Committee on the basis that further much more detailed information was required."

We believe this is Government Speak for "Do your homework or it will be thrown out." We are given to understand that the Planning Department was especially curious why the Pier had been permitted to deteriorate despite assurances it received at the time of Registration that "provision had been made to undertake limited maintenance to prevent unnecessary deterioration of the structure prior to a proper strategy for repair being identified."

Your committee were invited, along with Ramsey Town Commissioners and Ramsey's MHK, Allan Bell (Treasury Minister) and Leonard Singer MLC to a meeting with Transport Minister John Shimmin together with Alan Bell and Captain Michael Brew, his Chief Executive and Director of Harbours respectively. A constructive exchange of views took place at the end of which the meeting agreed that there was a need to look at a simple refurbishment scheme that could be costed and presented to Tynwald for approval of funding. This is exactly what your committee have been pressing for, for more than seven years! In view of the protected "Registered" status of the Structure we do not believe Demolition is a realistic option. We have provided the Department with further copies of an updated version of BWB's original report and a further Report by Mandell Engineering both of which give refurbishment costs in the region of £3M as opposed to the DoT's own much quoted figure of nearly £10M. We await news of their proposals which are due later this year.

It will now be obvious why there is no way we will be permitted to hold our annual and much loved "Open Day" this year and suggest that you find time to drop both Minster Shimmin and your MHK a line or two expressing your disappointment that this enjoyable day has had to be cancelled.