Pier Hopes Sunk?

Wednesday, 28 January, 2004

The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced that they are withdrawing their offer of £19 million funding towards the restoration of the West Pier. They have stated that they can no longer justify committing such a substantial sum to the project.

Regency Square Area Society chairman Roger Hinton said: "The decision by the Lottery Fund not to provide funds to re-build the Pier is very good news. It means that our seafront will be saved from the monstrous "enabling development". Our campaign against the scheme clearly showed that the majority of people did not want these new buildings either side of the Pier, and their wish has now been met.

"Of course it is a pity that the wonderful old West Pier is no more, but it is clear that the cost of re-building it was too high. The question now must be, how do we remove what's left. The remaining structure is unsightly and dangerous and needs to be cleared away."