Brighton Palace Pier – FOR SALE
The Annual Report was recently published by the Brighton Pier Group Ltd, and highlighted several troubling realities: that revenue from the Pier Division was down from the previous financial year, as was tourism in Brighton in General; and that it is planned to sell off “some or all of the remaining assets of the group”. Other assets include a number of bars and golf attractions. No timescales have been provided for the sale yet, but the newspapers seem certain that the Palace Pier itself will be for sale as opposed to other assets in the Group. A remarkable situation is thusly opened where five British seaside piers are for sale or will imminently be for sale: Brighton Palace; Blackpool North; Hastings; Eastbourne; and Totland Bay. And without wishing to overtly introduce politics to the matter, the rhetoric within the aforementioned report (see third link) consequently adds Brighton Palace Pier to the chorus of discontent, started by Clacton, Cromer, Bournemouth and Skegness Piers, on the financial pressures imposed by the recent Government Budget.
Read More (Telegraph)
Read More (CityAM)
Read More (Annual Report)

Falmouth Prince of Wales Pier – The Piermaster Departs
It’s Falmouth! A rarely-seen pier in the news world, but certainly it is a worthy pier in a handsome marine environment. For its small size, it surprisingly holds a formal post for a Piermaster. The Piermaster for the last eight years has been Emma (surname not given!), and upon her decision to leave the post, local commentary has been very fond and appreciative of her service.
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Southend Pier – The Poppies Proliferate
After a lot of plosive-rich teasing of this anticipated moment over previous months, finally the volunteers’ work is finished and the c.110,000 knitted poppies have been arranged along the pier balustrades. It will be pointless giving an opinion on the effect without visiting in person, so certainly visit if you are able to. This, the UK’s largest Remembrance art installation, will be in-situ until Sunday 16th November. Incidentally, the project draws remarkable parallels to the “Poppies: Wave” art installation, which was stationed at Shoeburyness Barge Pier (no public access) during Spring 2017 (See PIERS issue 124, if you have a copy). Whilst that was undoubtedly a piece of the finest art, the present Southend Pier installation has the overwhelming benefit of giving public access amongst the fiery red tramlines.
Read More (Council Statement)
Read More (Photographs)
Read More (BBC Video)

Paywall Miscellaneum
Two articles upon which I cannot provide a summary due to access being forbidden to me.
Walton Pier is apparently just as good in Winter as it is in Summer.
Nigel Farage talks about Clacton Pier
Read More (Walton)
Read More (Nigel)

Southend Pier – “Poppies on the Pier” Display to be Extended
Predictably, the displaying of c.110,000 knitted poppies on Southend Pier last week was exceptionally successful, to such an extent that it has been agreed to extend the display time until the 23rd November. The considerably boosted footfall and during this period has naturally resulted in considerable gains in fundraising for ongoing pier maintenance, as well as for the Royal British Legion.
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Cromer Pier – Christmas Show to Commence
The 2025 Christmas Show season will commence on Saturday 15th November and will continue until the end of December. Another excellent opportunity to enjoy the very best of pier entertainment.
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Event Page

Hastings Pier – Pressure for Structural Surveys
Not much in this article is new material, except for a statement from the Hastings and Rye MP regarding ongoing discussions between the Friends of Hastings Pier, Hastings Council, and “other community organisations”. The objective is still to transfer ownership of the pier to an owner befitting of the pier’s Asset of Community Value status. An essential feature of this process is to ensure that Gulzar provides a structural survey of the pier. There have been calls before for structural surveys of the pier to be prepared and delivered, but so far nothing has been produced.
Meanwhile, Lord Brett Mclean’s funeral service business, MCL Funerals Ltd, is running on the pier. Specifically, it boasts “MCL Funerals now have exclusivity to use Hastings Pier for your loved ones funeral service”. Could this prove to be a unique and moving environment for a funeral ceremony, or a depressing use of a publicly-accessible attraction (at least from the perspective of visitors)? Perhaps some of both.
It has also been reported on Facebook Groups that Casa de Pier is permanently shut and the unauthorised sheds/kiosks are subject to enforcement action.
Read More
Funerealism

Llandudno Pier – A Waverley Jigsaw
Waverley Excursions are selling a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle to celebrate Llandudno Pier’s award as Pier of the Year 2025. This can be purchased on the Waverley’s website.
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Product Page

Bognor Regis Pier – A Christmas Pantomime
Following the success of Brighton Palace Pier’s new show this Summer, Bognor Regis Pier is introducing a Christmas pantomime show for the first time. It would appear to be a well-considered programme, with a lightly refreshed playing of “Cinderella”, followed by a forceful romp on the “Sheiks” dancefloor; the whole contained within the “Venue24” complex at the entrance to the pier. (Image: Panto on the Pier; “Fairy Bognoria” in the ballpit)
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Facebook Page

Bognor Regis Pier (Again) – Planning Proposal for the Refurbishent of an Outbuilding
South of the main pier building is a set of miserable and semi-disused single-storey outbuildings, which are now to be converted into a cafe and sauna. This would certainly be a positive development, even if the buildings in question appear superficially so small and insubstantial for such functions. On the Local Authority’s planning register, the submitted elevation drawings are very poor indeed (the 3D visualisations slightly better), but the fundamental principal of the development seems quite supportable and a good sign for the pier’s future innovations. The planning applications should be decided by the 29th December and all consultee comments have so far raised no objections.
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Weston Birnbeck Pier – Update on Restoration Works
North Somerset Council have provided a most encouraging update on the preliminary stages of the pier restoration project, presently focussing on the fabric of the Pier Master’s Cottage and Toll House. This is backed up with a number of useful progress photographs, including a particularly interesting one showing a timber lintel in the Pier Master’s Cottage. This is shown to be stamped “ISCA Foundry Co”, the supplier of the pier’s original iron components. Perhaps this lintel was recycled from an old foundry packing case (in a similar spirit to Clevedon Pier’s famous recycling of Brunel’s “Barlow Rails”) after the iron was safely delivered from Newport?
Read More
Facebook Page (for the photographs)

Worthing Pier – Another Redecking Update
A further update from Worthing Borough Council on the ongoing redecking to the West Entrance. Presently the entirety of the decking has been removed, providing a clear first-hand view of the steel structure beneath. Perhaps only else at Ryde (with its stripped tramway route, before being redecked in the last few years) could visitors walk along the pier with an immediate picture of the exposed substructure which supported their way. The Council have confirmed that some of this steel, following structural inspections, will be replaced. The old decking will also be donated to the “Men in Sheds”, for the purpose of making things; an excellent idea!
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Ramsey Queen’s Pier – Bay 9 Steel Installation Underway
Despite the difficult weather conditions, the recently-delivered steel components for bays 9-10 are in the process of being assembled and installed at the pier. On the Trust’s Facebook page are some excellent photographs showing the recent progress, and in the same piercingly cold, sunny weather which most of us are presently subject to.
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Bangor Pier – Pier Master’s Cottage to be Converted to Holiday Let
Under the direction of the Friends of Bangor Garth Pier, planning permission is being sought for the conversion of the now-redundant Pier Master’s Cottage, to the right of the pier entrance and slipway, to a single holiday cottage. This has been promoted as a fruitful way to generate additional funds for pier maintenance and to provide an additional draw for potential visitors to the area. No internal or external alterations are proposed to the building; the planning application is merely concerned with the change of use to the building. The second link leads to the planning application page where comments can be made or expressed. The Planning Statement, accessed from here, gives additional information on the justification of the proposals and the history of the building’s use.
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Planning Page

Blackpool North Pier – Planning Approval for Improvements to the “Merrie England Bar”
A planning application for works to the “Merrie England Bar” has been approved by Blackpool Council. This application has been ongoing since 2023 and the approval follows some design amendments since the original proposal. The bar, enclosed within the North end of the 1966 entrance building, will be comprehensively refurbished and this will involve a reconstruction of the North and West elevations to offer improved sea views. These will be reconstructed in a contemporary style, perhaps risking a slight impact on the overall stylistic coherenace of the building… yet anything will look better than how these elevations look presently. The frontage elevation will maintain much of the reproduction ironwork dating to the far-reaching “Victorianisation” work of c.1987, but with new doors, windows and signage. Dismal daylighting within the existing bar arrangement was highlighted as a provocation for introducing rooflights and lanterns in the flat roof. The original proposal saw a boistrous and uncouth straight-sided glazed lantern placed centrally on the frontage elevation (shown on the 3D view in the article); after criticism from the Council, it was substituted for a smaller lantern which refrained from competing against the existing spread of glazed barrel vaults across the frontage. Outdoor seating to the front of the bar has also been permitted as part of the proposal, and the planning statements suggest an aspiration to put distance to the establishment’s association with “Merrie England”.
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Planning Page

Fleetwood Pier – Pressure for its Reinstatement
Fleetwood-based former world championship boxer Jane Couch has insisted that the reinstatement of a pier to Fleetwood (or, at least, some form of leisure amenity on the former pier site) would be greatly in the town’s interest; many others associated with Fleetwood have agreed. Mayors of Wyre, present and former, have supported the idea and some preliminary meetings have been organised to plan the process towards developing a leisure amenity on this long-disused site. Most interestingly of all, Jane has been in positive discussions with Mike “Joey Blower” Simmons (does he still own the site?) on initiating a new development for the town. This together will hopefully lead to a clearer situation once the first meeting is held on 12th December.
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Hastings Pier – Campaigning Continues – and a New Song
Hastings-based band “Fear of Last Orders” have recently shown vigorous support for the campaign to save (again) Hastings Pier. This is encompassed in the video in the second link, beginning with a short interview and followed by a new song “The End of the Pier” which has been released to support the campaign. In the interview, the sound is not very good (despite a fancy-looking journalist’s microphone being used), but is striking for the forcefulness of opinion.
Read More
Video and Song