New Pier

THE first new pier in the UK for 50 years is being proposed for New Brighton.

The famous Wirral pier could be rebuilt, almost three decades after it was dismantled. Wirral Council is commissioning a feasibility study into recreating the landmark from the resort’s heyday, in what would be only the second new pier in the UK since World War II.

It comes as the seaside town begins to look forward to massive redevelopment following the approval of a major two-part scheme to revitalise it.

The old Floral Pavilion theatre has been demolished and work is progressing on re-building the popular venue as part of the £17m first phase of development.

An outline planning applica-tion for a £45m second phase was approved by the Planning Committee in October.

Local councillor and cabinet member for regeneration, Pat Hackett, said the proposed pier would be “the icing on the cake” for the resort, whose redevelopment he has championed for many years.

Cllr Hackett has worked closely with the council’s preferred developer for the resort, Neptune, and managed to bring together many of those opposed to its original plan, after it had been rejected following a public inquiry.

He said:“Now the NWDA have indicated they would be prepared to fund the feasibi-lity study, which is absolutely phenomenal news.

“If it were to go ahead, it would have all sorts of knock-on effects for New Brighton.”

Cllr Hackett said they would also hope to reinstate ferry trips between Liverpool and New Brighton.

He said: “This is great news for New Brighton, and fully vindicates our approach to revitalise the resort after so many years spent in the doldrums.” A special report, added late to a Wirral Council’s cabinet meeting, said “a pier was orig-inally a part of the Neptune plans but was deferred in terms of the main develop-ment scheme due to the need to examine the feasibility of such a structure”.

The £210,000 study will be done in two parts, with engin-eers assessing flood risk, eco-logical impact and planning factors.

The report is by deputy chief executive of the council Jim Mr Wilkie, who added: “The target area for the study will be in the waterfront area of Victoria Road, alongside the position of the old pier, on land owned by the council, though other possible sites may also be examined.”

Last night, an NWDA spokeswoman said: “The Agency has agreed in principle to fund a feasibility study into the economic viability of a new pier and a landing stage for the area.

“This is subject to the submission of a formal bid and a full appraisal of the scheme.”

Liverpool Echo and Daily Post

They had better check if the Mersey barrage is still on, which it appears to be. Well it hasn't gone away, as the Mersey and Seven rivers can give 6% of the UKs electricity by tide.

[IMG]http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...x/image-35.jpg[/IMG]

Do you think it will ever come back to this Kev ?

gregs dad

That's a great picture :handclap: it really shows how the pier looked. I've got a couple of old photos with the pier in the background but very little of it is showing.

'tis an excellent picture :PDT11

Great Pic! and fond memories for me, I remember dancing on the pier back in the 50s!!! Cheers All:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

here
This video from You Tube shows the downfall of New Brighton in the last 40 years. Some of you may remember the old scenes of around the waterfront. The video also shows previous plans for the resort.

(just click the image, it will load up in a new window then!)

Thanks for that mate, a cracker little film full of memories

I,ve just pulled out of an album this old photo of my dad and Uncle Ronnie Red and little old me on the pier at New Brighton.

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Cllr Hackett said they would also hope to reinstate ferry trips between Liverpool and New Brighton.

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This would be great!! I can't wait until the new lido is built aswell,the kids will love it and in Winter it'll be turned into an ice rink.:)

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Originally Posted by Waterways

They had better check if the Mersey barrage is still on, which it appears to be. Well it hasn't gone away, as the Mersey and Seven rivers can give 6% of the UKs electricity by tide.

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Quite.
They could build a paved-over groyne rather than a pier down to a ferry stage.
Then it could double as a very large launching ramp for trailered-boats - very 21st Century.

Wallasey, a fantastic bit of footage you have found... I was making a very large documentary at that time (1999), for exhibition that later exhibited through out the UK. If I knew that film was about I would have loved to have chatted to the makers of it.

Will Tesco get its shop built? (Lets hope not)....

What do you all think about the new project to build a New York skyline for the area?

Will it be doomed like the last project?

Only time will tell.... Unless posters know some thing I do not know. That would not surprise me....

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Originally Posted by gregs dad

[IMG]http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...x/image-35.jpg[/IMG]

Do you think it will ever come back to this Kev ?

gregs dad

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This would be fantastic! If it happens lets hope it has a Landing Stage at the end for the Ferry!

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Originally Posted by Patrick-t

Wallasey, a fantastic bit of footage you have found... I was making a very large documentary at that time (1999), for exhibition that later exhibited through out the UK. If I knew that film was about I would have loved to have chatted to the makers of it.

Will Tesco get its shop built? (Lets hope not)....

What do you all think about the new project to build a New York skyline for the area?

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Fantastic!! The old Victorian seaside town has gone, you can't reverse it and bring it back as it will just not happen. Permanently densely populating the area is the way and it improves the dowdy image of the place. However it needs attractions for the locals and to attract from the Mersey/Dee region.

The Mersey Barrage is the big aspect here for any plans. It has to be known if this is going ahead and at what point along the river - there are suggestions for one between Dingle and Bebington. It has great benefits and the best place for it is around New Brighton to Bootle. It could carry a road too and maybe a rail line as well further joining the two sides of the river - hopefully with the Wirral merging with Liverpool city.

Large locks for Ocean going ships would be in it of course and access to Seaforth container terminal ideally via the tidal Liverpool Bay. The barrage can also act against surge tides and tsunamis - yes one hit the Bristol Channel in the 1600s. A small underwater earthquake can trigger them. The barrage has to ensure water does not move around the sides of the barrage, as can happen to the Thames barrier.

A locked in river is a great asset. Ships can moor on the river side of the dock walls and hopefully reducing berthing fees and water leisure facilities will benefit greatly too using a low current large pool of water. Maybe all the existing lock gates will be made redundant and free access to all docks at all times. The Mersey at low tide is not a nice thing. The colour of the water will change for the better from the brownie sandy colour it usually is.

Any beaches would need to be on the seaward side of a New Brighton barrage.

If a new pier was built, it wouldn't be anything like the old New Brighton Pier.
The last completely new pier, in Deal, Kent, was concrete, and Bournemouth pier was also rebuilt in the 1950s, in concrete.
I lived in New Brighton in the early 1970s, when the ferry was still in operation, but it was evident even then that Wirral Council wanted NB to be residential, and not a holiday resort.

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Originally Posted by PhilipG

If a new pier was built, it wouldn't be anything like the old New Brighton Pier.
The last completely new pier, in Deal, Kent, was concrete, and Bournemouth pier was also rebuilt in the 1950s, in concrete.
I lived in New Brighton in the early 1970s, when the ferry was still in operation, but it was evident even then that Wirral Council wanted NB to be residential, and not a holiday resort.

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Judging by what buildings are like now, it may be galvanized steel with strange glass things sticking out in painful places!

Last I heard, the supermarket was going to be a Morrisons; Wallasey does now have a Tesco Metro, down in Seacombe (where the Dale Pub used to be on Poulton Road)

Just shows how times change...so now they want NB to be a nice lil earner ay! Does that mean New Ferry might get its pool back???

Speaking of which, has anyone noticed all the work thats going on in New Ferry atm?? Its positively starting to go up! (apologies from straying admins!)

Your all welcome btw! It was the relevent piece, Soundlad has got some very good vids up there atm!

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Originally Posted by Waterways

Fantastic!! .... It has great benefits and the best place for it is around New Brighton to Bootle. It could carry a road too and maybe a rail line as well further joining the two sides of the river - hopefully with the Wirral merging with Liverpool city. ...

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Any road or rail crossing would interfere with, and/or be adversely affected by, the locks. So it would be best if the barrage were developed for tourist/pleasure purposes rather than as a utilitarian crossing. An iconic touristy fair-weather crossing or ferry. Of course hikers and bikers could be accommodated too.

Also, having a barrage and using it for hydro generation does not require eliminating the tidal range upstream. Rather it gives an opportunity to control the tidal range so as to actively manage the salinity and hence the environmental health of the upper Mersey.

If the barrage were well South of the Seaforth docks but right at the Langton dock river entrance then the existing Langton cruise terminal could be rehabilitated to good effect as it would have direct access to the barrage and any ferries or etc. operating from it.

And finally, reclaimed land at the New Brighton end of the barrage could be used to build a new hotel - on the site of the old pier adjoining the prom. Join me in dreaming that we could call it "The Tower", put a ballroom in it and a smallish replica of the old steel Tower on top :-)

Has anyone got the talent, time and energy to sketch what it might look like?

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Originally Posted by PhilipG

If a new pier was built, it wouldn't be anything like the old New Brighton Pier. ...

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Right, the New Brighton pier in New Zealand probably gives one a better concept:-
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ghton_pier.jpg

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Originally Posted by HollyBlack

Any road or rail crossing would interfere with, and/or be adversely affected by, the locks. So it would be best if the barrage were developed for tourist/pleasure purposes rather than as a utilitarian crossing. An iconic touristy fair-weather crossing or ferry. Of course hikers and bikers could be accommodated too.

Also, having a barrage and using it for hydro generation does not require eliminating the tidal range upstream. Rather it gives an opportunity to control the tidal range so as to actively manage the salinity and hence the environmental health of the upper Mersey.

If the barrage were well South of the Seaforth docks but right at the Langton dock river entrance then the existing Langton cruise terminal could be rehabilitated to good effect as it would have direct access to the barrage and any ferries or etc. operating from it.

And finally, reclaimed land at the New Brighton end of the barrage could be used to build a new hotel - on the site of the old pier adjoining the prom. Join me in dreaming that we could call it "The Tower", put a ballroom in it and a smallish replica of the old steel Tower on top :-)

Has anyone got the talent, time and energy to sketch what it might look like?

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Creating a barrage would mean the river would not need dredging and deep water ships could sail almost anywhere in time as channels would be dredged through - they would not fill up after being cleared as no tide to bring the sand in. Only the channels up to the barrage wold need dredging. The existing channels to the river have underwater training walls.

A barrage can have a road on it. Barriers stop traffic and/or trains when the locks are being used. An island in the middle could have a tower it, complete with restaurant, etc.

Well something like what Portsmouth did would be fine at New Brighton. This is a nice looking tower, called the Spinnaker as it is shaped like a spinnaker
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...s/3de44634.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j4...3/6d60b932.jpg

new brighton should get a peir and a new ferry service i'm for it:037: the future is :037: people on the beech

My grandad used to take me and my brother to NB in the late 50's. We'd spend time on the beach and visit both the indoor and outdoor funfairs. Anybody remember the wall of death at the outdoor fair?

[QUOTE=Waterways;100369]

The Mersey Barrage is the big aspect here for any plans. QUOTE]

Peel are keeping an open mind on at least four ways of harnessing the tidal range of which the barrage is only one.

Personally I'd rather eat my gran's socks than seethe River Mersey bunged up even if it did have tidal locks for shipping.

Making the Mersey estuary a "largely" locked in body of deep water has great advantages.

• Dredging costs are then to minimum creating cheaper berthing fees which will expand the port facilities all around the estuary.
• Ships then berth on the river rather than in docks.
• The locked in water can be safely used for leisure purposes.
• The barrage creates a rail/roadway.

The Mersey at low tide is not a nice sight at all. I would look forward to a high body of water. Beaches are accessible on the end of the Wirral peninsular and Crosby and all north. The prom at Wallasey could be a place when water sports and small boats berth on small piers creating an animated water front at Wallasey - which it currently is not.

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Originally Posted by Waterways

Making the Mersey estuary a "largely" locked in body of deep water has great advantages.

• Dredging costs are then to minimum creating cheaper berthing fees which will expand the port facilities all around the estuary.
• Ships then berth on the river rather than in docks.
• The locked in water can be safely used for leisure purposes.
• The barrage creates a rail/roadway.

The Mersey at low tide is not a nice sight at all. I would look forward to a high body of water. Beaches are accessible on the end of the Wirral peninsular and Crosby and all north. The prom at Wallasey could be a place when water sports and small boats berth on small piers creating an animated water front at Wallasey - which it currently is not.

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From info provided on the Depth of the mersey thread it seems the silting around Speke has been aggravated by the training walls in the channel. It was quite unexpected that the sand banks in the bay would effectively move into the river. Change in the flow can be unpredictable. Will the 'basin' fill up with silt or will the sand move back into the bay? - hard to say.

I am not sure that much dredging (relatively) goes on these days as the port operations are focussed so far north. Options that produce a largely self-scouring river bed seem more attractive. Also keeping the alakalinity of the water roughly the same rather than becoming 'fresher' is desirable. It's a clean river with lots of marine life and a delicate balance.

Roads don't seem to be our future. They cost too much on many levels and don't have great capacity. Public Transport, probably Rail, probably is but the existng rail tunnel is in the centre for good reason. It's on the desire line.

Leisure uses can operate on all states of tide if the river bed is better managed. More fundamentally, it's a rough, tough bit of water and part of the city's character. The sweeps and changes of tide are magnificent. I wouldn't want to see that change.

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Originally Posted by petromax

From info provided on the Depth of the mersey thread it seems the silting around Speke has been aggravated by the training walls in the channel. It was quite unexpected that the sand banks in the bay would effectively move into the river. Change in the flow can be unpredictable. Will the 'basin' fill up with silt or will the sand move back into the bay? - hard to say.

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If the river is barraged in not much at all will get inside. The sand banks can be removed and the river largely will be deep. A port can be at the airport then.

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I am not sure that much dredging (relatively) goes on these days as the port operations are focussed so far north.

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The Garston and Eatham channels are dredged and the main Crosby channel.

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Options that produce a largely self-scouring river bed seem more attractive. Also keeping the alakalinity of the water roughly the same rather than becoming 'fresher' is desirable. It's a clean river with lots of marine life and a delicate balance.

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The training walls improved around WW2 reduced sand in the estuary and raised the levels by a few inches.

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Roads don't seem to be our future. They cost too much on many levels and don't have great capacity. Public Transport, probably Rail, probably is but the existng rail tunnel is in the centre for good reason. It's on the desire line.

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[

A barrage can give road and rail crossing.

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Leisure uses can operate on all states of tide if the river bed is better managed. More fundamentally, it's a rough, tough bit of water and part of the city's character. The sweeps and changes of tide are magnificent. I wouldn't want to see that change.

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The currents are harsh and locking it in makes it better for leisure craft as well as others.

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Originally Posted by Waterways

If the river is barraged in not much at all will get inside. The sand banks can be removed and the river largely will be deep. A port can be at the airport then.



The Garston and Eatham channels are dredged and the main Crosby channel.



The training walls improved around WW2 reduced sand in the estuary and raised the levels by a few inches.

[

A barrage can give road and rail crossing.



The currents are harsh and locking it in makes it better for leisure craft as well as others.

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oh dear, let's leave it at that shall we. It's off-topic anyway and lots of people want to talk about the good times they had at New Brighton. I remember the fountains at the pool most of all and the salt water washes that used to sting your feet and the incredibly, incredibly high diving board.

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Originally Posted by petromax

oh dear, let's leave it at that shall we. It's off-topic anyway and lots of people want to talk about the good times they had at New Brighton. I remember the fountains at the pool most of all and the salt water washes that used to sting your feet and the incredibly, incredibly high diving board.

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Just how high was that diving board? Too high for me ever to risk it! - I can remember people climbing up to the top and then climbing back down again having lost their nerve. Or jumping feet-first from the top and getting shouted at for doing that.

Anyway, back to topic, yes a barrage could have a lot of pier-like features.

So wouldn't it make sense to build a causeway thing out into the river with a floating ferry berth at the end rather than a concrete pier with water sloshing underneath? Since steel piers are history and concrete beams are so very very ugly. Such a causeway could double as a super-long launching ramp (income!) for trailered pleasure boats and a new lifeboat observation station and more.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/4...93cdac29_o.jpg
This diving board ?

I seem to remember reading some place the the diving board was at the maximum 'Olympic' height.
Phredd

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Originally Posted by gregs dad

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/4...93cdac29_o.jpg
This diving board ?

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That looks like it!!. 'Course it use to be a million feet high and you could split your stomach open if you dived wrong from it!

I think there were three (plus the spring board). You could watch people getting more and more windy as they climbed. I often saw them drop down to the middle board, but never the lowest board (Oh, the shame of it......!!). I tried the spring board once but it was often folded back and locked away because it was so bouncy.