MUMBLES PIER is facing possible closure due to safety concerns.
The Victorian structure’s condition is deteriorating, and will be closed if inspectors deem it to be unsafe for public use. A spokesman from the company which owns the pier, Ameco, commented that the pier is, “reaching the end of its useful life”.
As the pier is privately owned, it does not qualify for government funding for repairs. Therefore Ameco are relying on a £39 million foreshore development scheme, to provide funding for the restoration of the pier.
The application for the planned development has been submitted to Swansea Council, and includes plans for a hotel, apartments, restaurants and leisure and retail development, as well as the building of a new modern lifeboat house.
It was hoped that the pier would have been closed by now for restoration, however Ameco stated that, “...planning permission has not yet been granted”. They are unsure whether the pier will pass its next safety survey and, “if that’s the case the pier will have to be closed to public access”.
Mumbles Pier is viewed affectionately by generations of visitors and residents, and is one of the key tourist landmarks of the area.
Faye John, a 3rd year English student at Swansea University, who is from the Mumbles area commented, “It would be a terrible shame if the Mumbles Pier closed. I enjoyed many days out there as a child, and hope future generations can do the same”.