The Ravages of Wind and Fire

A report by Dr Geoff Lockwood - to view please click here (pdf format)

Board and AGM Meetings Held on 28th October

1.  The Board received and discussed the report below. It was impressed by the enthusiasm for the schemes under consideration shown by its members who had seen them; and by their confidence in being able to deliver a scheme which would build upon the spirit and fabric of the West Pier but would also provide Brighton & Hove with a new development of international standing.

2.  Unfortunately the AGM was not quorate (three members short of the required fifty). The meeting considered the business for the AGM and held an open discussion of the situation of the Trust and its plans.

3.  The AGM will be reconvened when the Board is in a position to recommend a scheme and by February 2006 at the latest.

4.  In the meantime, officers agreed to keep the web site up to date as far as possible on developments.

 Dr Geoff Lockwood - 31st October 2005  

Summary of the Report from the Chief Executive to the Board

1. Introduction

The officers of the Trust have been very active since the July meeting of the Board.  It was then agreed that we should pursue the private sector along the lines of the agreed and published position statement. We still expect contributions from public and heritage authorities but as ‘extras’ for specific aspects to the main private sector led and financed scheme.

In July, we expected to have to issue a prospectus to attract private sector interest; and that turned out not to be the case. We were approached directly, and through Council officers, by private sector groups. Thus, since July, officers have been in negotiations with three potential private sector partners.

Aims

It is helpful to re-state the Trust’s aims in those negotiations i.e. to

2.1     comply with our objects

2.2     try to avoid any developments that would remove the ability to restore/reconstruct the West Pier. No one knows if in ten, twenty, thirty.. years time an opportunity will arise to achieve that aim

2.3     maximise heritage retention at the landward end e.g. the east and west entrance booths, railings, lamps, seating, compound structures

2.4     achieve the creation of a heritage exhibition centre

2.5     seek Council agreement to use its land on the lower esplanade either side of the pier for heritage retention purposes (and the West Pier market) in ways compatible with the Council’s ‘string of pearls’ regeneration of the seafront

2.6     achieve high standards in the architecture and engineering of any new development; standards reflecting those of the pier in 1866

2.7     obtain an income stream for the Trust to generate funding which would, over time, enable it to at least preserve the sea-based pier head and eventually link it back to the land. A long-term staged approach to planning for the heritage retention of the West Pier.

3. Proposed Schemes

The officers of the Trust had hoped to be able this month to outline the three schemes to the Board and, hopefully, to make recommendations on them.

The Executive Committee on 13th October was presented with the current state of the three schemes. The Executive Committee welcomed the schemes but it was apparent during the discussion that each scheme needed further work on its content or funding; and the proposers were informed of the requirements of the Executive in those regards.

The Executive also agreed that the Trust must abide by the wishes of the potential private sector partners that confidentiality around the schemes should be maintained whilst the further refinements were being made to the schemes. We appreciate fully the frustration of the Board, and the broader membership of the Trust, in their expectancy of knowing the content of the schemes having to be delayed. However, after thirty years of failed schemes, the priority is to ensure that one succeeds; and that means waiting a few more months rather than risking premature exposure.

On the positive, we can assert that the schemes under serious consideration comply with the aims of the Trust summarised above.

On the negative, we can state that none of the schemes are focussed upon the ‘funfair’ ethos of the Palace Pier, a casino, retail shopping, a health spa, a multiplex cinema etc.

4. Legal

Common to pursuance of any of the three schemes are the constraints upon the Trust of the legislation impacting on the West Pier and the state of its listed status.

1. 4.1     Harbour Revision Order. We still require the HRO in order to enter into leases for part of the site for longer than three years and that is being pursued through our agents
2. 4.2     Listed Status English Heritage has been silent about the West Pier in 2005. following discussions with Council officers, I wrote to English Heritage about clearance of the Concert Hall wreckage in order to get its view on the status of the pier i.e. could we ‘bulldoze’ the wreckage or would we have to dismantle it and record it given the Grade I listing. English Heritage has responded, confirming the maintenance of the Grade I listing, and has set up an exercise to assess the heritage value of the 'wreckage' prior to advising us on the care to be taken in its removal.
3. 4.3     Brighton & Hove City Council.  Council officers have been fully involved in the discussions about development schemes, and have been very supportive. However, we have not yet discussed the terms of the Trust leasing the Council land either side of the pier.

5. Conclusion

It is regrettable that we are not in a position to make positive recommendations to the Board, or the AGM, but considerable progress is being made and we are optimistic about a very impressive scheme (and substantial backers) being able to be put forward around the turn of the year.

24th October 2005                                                                Dr Geoff Lockwood - Chief Executive

8th July 2005
Latest Progress

The joint working party of the Trust, the Council and English Heritage remains in place considering lines of action towards the development of a New West Pier combining elements of the old pier (heritage retention) in a high quality contemporary setting (future heritage creation).

In parallel, the Trust is in the first stages of discussion with two private sector groups which have expressed clear interest in partnering the Trust in the development of a New West Pier.

No outcomes yet, but we wish to let members know that the officers of the Trust are very active; and that the signs are positive.

Geoff Lockwood

18 April 2005
Glynn Jones Appointed as New Chairman

Following the death on 24th March of Sir Lindsay Bryson, Glynn Jones has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Trust. Glynn is the retired Chief Executive of Brighton & Hove City Council and in that office he was instrumental in 1995 in persuading Sir Lindsay to accept the Chairmanship of the Trust.

The Board of the Trust, at its meeting on 18th April, approved the Chief Executive's Position Statement and the continuing discussions with the Council and English Heritage.

1. Introduction
These notes summarise the current baseline circumstances of the West Pier project. The key factor is a sad recognition that the 30 year struggle to restore the old West Pier has ended in failure.

1.1 The authentic restoration of the West Pier to its 1920’s appearance was
a) the aim of the Trust. The Trust’s stewardship obligations towards the site are wider, but from John Lloyd to Bryan Spielman the focus was on that 1920’s restoration.
b) The aim of English Heritage.
c) The aim of Brighton Council; which promised lower esplanade land to meet the commercial requirements of the restoration.
d) Was encouraged by HLF officers in the belief that the aim would be delivered by funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
1.2 The history since 1995 makes depressing reading, but the outcome is that the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Brighton & Hove City Council had by 2004 given up on their commitments and aims due to circumstances by then outside their control. The Trust fought for the restoration through 2004 but it now has to accept that the fulfilment of the previously shared aim is, at best, highly improbable. The pier is now a ruin; thanks to the vacillations of public bodies, the opposition of the owners of the Palace Pier and the dramatic damage caused by nature and by professional arsonists. There is no point in 2005 holding onto unrealistic aims.

2. Aspirations of the Trust
2.1 The Trust is now in a position in which it owns a site and a heritage central to the seafront of Brighton & Hove and high in the global recognition of Victorian heritage. The question now is how should the Trust use its site to both uphold the heritage of the pier and the regeneration of the city seafront?
2.2 The formal objects of the Trust allow for a new pier provided that the Trust does its best to retain as much of the heritage as is practical and financially feasible. The Trust owns the freehold of the pier and the land either side of it (including that under the sea) and has to use it for the public benefit.
2.3 The Trust believes that the old West Pier cannot be allowed to disappear without the creation on its site of something which reflects its heritage and its public appeal. The Trust will enter into discussions with the Council and English Heritage (and, eventually, the Heritage Lottery Fund) in a positive mode. The notion of a new pier combining contemporary structure with heritage retention is exciting.
The Trust wishes, and is obliged, to maximise the heritage elements. It would like to see the new pier incorporating
- a replica/reconstructed Concert Hall (not necessarily in its historical situation) since it was the single most important pier building in England
- retention of the east and west entrance buildings
- re-use of the 1866 kiosks (which are in storage)
- samples of the original railings/serpent lamps
- retention of the one still surviving kiosk on the seaward platform.
Any developer/operator will also wish to see that degree of heritage retention for straight-forward commercial interest.
2.4 In particular, the Trust has a firm commitment to the creation of a major Heritage Centre on the seafront site of the old West Pier. The heritage of the West Pier will continue to be reflected in other places (e.g. the Brighton Museum) but a Centre is needed on site and of a scale which utilises the massive range of artefacts and archives held by the Trust (well beyond the capacity of the Brighton Museum). The public would expect the Heritage Centre to be on site; and the financiers of any new development on the site will welcome such a centre for commercial reasons.
2.5 The appendix to these notes outlines the concept of the Heritage Centre.
2.6 In summary, the Trust recognises that its aspirations will need to be adjusted as a result of discussions with public bodies, especially Brighton & Hove City Council, and of interaction with an eventual private sector partner; but its aspiration is to create a development of the site that maximises the heritage of the West Pier, that provides fully for the public benefit from the site, that relates the site to the Council’s plans for the regeneration of the seafront, that creates architecture which will rapidly become a new heritage and that secures the private sector backing for the capital investment and long-term commercial viability.

3. Other Known Circumstances
3.1 The current physical state of the pier puts it beyond repair; over the next few years the remainder of the sea-based structure will collapse into the sea. It will sink i.e. not a danger to navigation or beach users.
3.2 Brighton & Hove City Council will need to adjust its plans for the regeneration of the seafront. The West Pier site being a key ‘pulse point’ in spreading liveliness westwards.
3.3 English Heritage maintains the Grade I listed status of the pier but has suggested that ‘discussions should concentrate on the possibility of replacement’. Indeed it may be that a scheme which has some heritage merit, perhaps in the retention of part or parts of the surviving pier structure or incorporation of members, might attract our funds for feasibility work, but it would have to be in the context of a largely contemporary pier?
3.4 The Heritage Lottery Fund has stressed that it is open to receive a fresh application for the heritage element of the West Pier site; and will consider such an application in the context of its involvement in the project since 1995.
3.5 There is at present no prospective private sector partner. The previous such partners (St Modwen, London & Regional) have declined to express interest at this time. Given the shift from ‘restoration’ to ‘replacement’ the capital funding will need to be 90+% from the private sector.
3.6 All of the reactions received by the Trust from its local, national and international members to the notion of a replacement pier combining the contemporary and the heritage indicate broad public support. However, it can be assumed that any plans will be opposed by
3.6.1 the owners of the Palace Pier
3.6.2 some local conservation societies.
3.7 Although the 1995-2004 plans related to the ‘restoration/repair’ of the old West Pier
3.7.1 they provide a wealth of financial, physical, planning detail on the site relevant to any new proposal.
3.7.2 The fact that those plans eventually met with the approval of the national and local planning, architectural and heritage authorities provides a platform for any new proposal.

4. Conclusion
The failure to achieve the restoration of the old West Pier is a major blow to its millions of supporters; softened by 2005 through the general recognition that the damage caused by nature and arsonists in 2003 had put that hope almost beyond the realms of the possible. The loss of that aim has opened up the exciting prospect of a replacement pier which could combine new heritage with retention of parts of the old heritage.

Geoff Lockwood
February 2005

1. Introduction
All of the various plans since 1975 to re-open the West Pier have included the creation of a Heritage Centre. The reason is obvious. The West Pier site and its history is internationally recognised as a key heritage asset; and locally it is held in great affection. People visiting the site will wish to experience its past.

2. Role of the Centre
The development of the West Pier site is a major national heritage project, with an international profile. The role of the proposed Centre is to ensure that visitors can appreciate and benefit from that heritage. The Centre will also be the focus of the West Pier Trust’s activity. Activities will include those within the Centre (permanent exhibition about the pier, seaside history and temporary exhibitions, merchandising of West Pier material) and heritage activities on the pier organised from the Centre (escorted tours, special heritage/cultural events/education visits). The aim is for the Centre to be a vibrant focus on the history of all aspects of the West Pier to enable visitors to experience the site with a fuller understanding of its engineering, architecture, social history etc..

3. Content of the Centre
The Centre will include photographic displays, interactive A.V.s, a study area. material. The largest area will house the West Pier permanent exhibition. The focus of this will be on the West Pier, with the pier as the major exhibit and visitor experience. The exhibition should reveal the pier, its history, significance and value. The exhibition will probably be organised chronologically. Each section will have some big artefacts; activities for students/children; key issues and questions; sounds, music and people speaking; video and film and lots of visual illustrations.
i) The derelict pier; the decay, erosion, storms, starling video, the pier almost reclaimed by nature.
Artefacts and activities: chunks of dereliction and decay, experience a force 8 gale, venture into the haunted and derelict mirror maze, take a trip underwater.
ii) The building of the pier. Laidlaws and the Glasgow ironworks, screw piles and innovative building techniques, fancy cast iron, oriental architecture.
Artefacts and activities: piles and piling demonstrations, ornate ironwork close up, the force needed to turn a pile, design a piece of ornate iron work.
iii) The promenade pier. The pier as a place for walking, meeting, taking the ozone, panoramic views, music. The early safety scares. Paddle steamers and entertainments.
No artefacts, just paintings etc.
iv) The pleasure pier. The big new buildings, the Pavilion and Concert Hall and how they were used, huge range of entertainments
Artefacts and activities: something centred on the buildings; early roller-skating, making silhouettes.
v) The funfair pier. The amusements and food of the post-war pier.
Artefacts and activities: mirror maze, original signage, post war rides.
vi) The struggles, plans and processes since 1975 to secure a future for the site.
Artefacts and activities: of the restoration process, design your own pier using IT.

4. Heritage on the Pier
It is not possible at this time to detail the heritage elements that will be included in and on the re-generated pier. It is hoped that there will be areas re-using original materials and designs. At a minimum, modern technology will allow visitors as they walk along the pier to see on screens the way that part of the pier looked in its heyday.

5. Location
All our previous plans envisaged the Centre to be on or under the pier. That remains a possibility but is much less likely given a 21st century pier. The ‘paddling pool’ site, on Council land next to the site is another possibility. The advantages of that site a
5.1 it does not complicate the architectural requirements for the new pier.
5.2 It is easier for BHCC to donate that site to a non-profit making trust for a Centre which will be a major civic amenity.
5.3 It could be housed in a structure reflecting the old West Pier; indeed, it could be the reconstructed Concert Hall.
5.4 Operationally, it would be separate from the management of the New West Pier.

6. Funding
The Centre would be operationally self-financing but the initial capacity costs would have to be met by a combination of the heritage authorities and the private sector partner.

7. Conclusion
The Heritage Centre will help many future generations to enjoy and appreciate the site and the pier in its historical context.

Geoff Lockwood Rachel Clark
Chief Executive General Manager

February 2005

The Chairman of the West Pier Trust, Sir Lindsay Bryson, died on 24th March. Many know that Sir Lindsay fought his illness for six years with incredible determination and fortitude. The character of the man maintained normality in his personal and business dealings when his body was undergoing massive abnormalities of both the illness and the treatment.

The Trust will find ways to pay tribute to Lindsay, who never lost faith in our ability to succeed throughout the frustrations over his ten years as our Chairman.

It was Lindsay’s wish that Glynn Jones should replace him as our Chairman. Lindsay and I discussed that two years ago, and were in agreement. I am pleased to inform you that Glynn has agreed to be the acting Chairman and to be nominated for appointment as Chairman at the next meeting of the Board.

We have lost more than a Chairman. Lindsay joins John Lloyd and Bryan Spielman as the key figures in the struggle to keep the West Pier alive.

26th March 2005
Dr Geoff Lockwood - Deputy Chairman & Chief Executive

Latest Statement on the Future of the West Pier by Dr Geoff Lockwood - Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive

1. Introduction
At the AGM last October we announced that BWPT would make one further attempt to persuade the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), English Heritage (EH) and Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) to undertake a final joint analysis of the options for the future of the West Pier. By November we had their responses. The HLF told the Trust to get ‘realistic’. EH asserted that a future for the old West Pier was not ‘a viable option’ and concentration ought now to be ‘on a replacement’. BHCC accepted the conclusions of the HLF and EH.

The officers of the Trust were, therefore, forced to accept that the aim pursued vigorously over the previous decade was no longer tenable. The authentic restoration/repair/reconstruction of the West Pier to its 1920’s appearance relied upon at least 50% of the cost being met from public/lottery sources. If any member knows of a source for a circa £20m benefaction we could resurrect that aim!

The officers of the Trust were not prepared to allow the situation to drift. We gave considerable thought to the position of the Trust and the available options. As a result, we posted our conclusions on the web site in December. The following two section of the newsletter repeat those conclusions (with slight textual amendments)

2. Background
2.1 When Sir Lindsay and I were persuaded to take over leadership of the Trust in 1995 we inherited a situation in which the authentic restoration of the West Pier to its 1920’s appearance was
a) the aim of the Trust. The Trust’s stewardship obligations towards the site are wider, but from John Lloyd to Bryan Spielman the focus was on that 1920’s restoration.
b) The aim of English Heritage.
c) The aim of Brighton Council; whose officers promised us lower esplanade land either side of the pier to meet the commercial requirements of the restoration.
Further, the Trust had been encouraged by HLF officers to believe that the aim would be delivered by 100% funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
2.2 The history of the following ten years makes depressing reading, but the outcome is that the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Brighton & Hove City Council had by 2004 withdrawn from that original shared aim. The Trust fought for the restoration through 2004 but it now has to accept that the fulfilment of the previously shared aim is, at best, highly improbable. The pier is now a ruin; thanks to the vacillations of public bodies, the opposition of the owners of the Palace Pier and the dramatic damage caused by professional arsonists. There is no point in going into 2005 with unrealistic aims.
2.3 The Trust is now in a position which some would have liked it to have been focussed upon in 1995, but for the then preconceptions of all parties i.e. we possess a site and a heritage central to the seafront of Brighton & Hove and high in the global recognition of Victorian heritage. The question now is how should the Trust use its site to both uphold the heritage of the pier and the regeneration of the city seafront?
Had we been faced with that question in 1995, free from the stated aims of predecessors and the other parties, BWPT would probably have been inclined towards a solution which combined blending preservation of the heritage of the past with creation of heritage for the future. Ten years down the line, the Trust has been given that freedom from past aims by the decisions of other bodies. The formal objects of the Trust allow for a new pier provided that the Trust does its best to retain as much of the heritage as is practical and financially feasible. The Trust owns the freehold of the pier and the land either side of it (including that under the sea).
2.4 The Trust should, therefore, enter into discussions with the Council and English Heritage (and, eventually, the Heritage Lottery Fund) in a positive mode. The notion of a new pier combining world class 21st century architecture with heritage retention is exciting. The outcome will reflect the interests of the various parties; but going into the discussions the Trust wishes, and is obliged, to maximise the heritage elements. It would ideally like to see the new pier incorporating
- a replica/reconstructed Concert Hall (not necessarily in its historical situation) since it was the single most important pier building in England
- retention of the east and west entrance buildings
- re-use of the 1866 kiosks (which are in storage)
- samples of the original railings/serpent lamps
- a Heritage Centre on the history of the West Pier.
Any developer/operator will also wish to see heritage retention for straight-forward commercial interest.

3. Analysis
3.1 The essence of the situation facing the Trust in December was that:
- the long-sought full restoration or reconstruction of the West Pier is now highly improbable. This creates the prospect of innovative solutions as to its replacement.
- The West Pier site is central to the Brighton & Hove seafront; it is valuable; and its design and usage will characterise the future of the central seafront.
- The Trust will seek to maximise the usage of heritage assets. The task will be similar to re-using in a modern setting the jewels from a worn out Victorian ring.
- The new project will be private sector financed and led (within parameters set by the public partners). Some heritage monies will be sought for specific elements and some land will probably need to be transferred from the Council.
- The amount of commercial square footage needed to finance and sustain the new pier will be significantly greater than in the 1995-2004 proposals; but much of it could be sea-based.
3.2 The officers of the Trust met with representatives of BHCC and EH in early January to discuss the foregoing. It was a positive meeting. There is a ‘buzz’ about the idea of a New West Pier; building upon the heritage since 1866 but setting it in a 21st century structure which future generations will revere as much as the Victorian standards of Eugenius Birch. It will be another long haul. We face again all of the problems of investment finance, planning permission, objections from self-interested groups etc. however, the officers of BWPT/BHCC/EH have now agreed to establish a joint project team to go into the detail of the vision. It will take that team many months to work out a way forward which maximises the chances of its success in not only fulfilling the high aim described above but also in meeting the detailed financial, planning, commercial, legal etc requirements and obstacles.
3.3 Thus, members should not expect any significant news until the autumn. The news is that BWPT has entered detailed discussions with BHCC and EH on a future for the West Pier. In parallel with those discussion, BWPT will be searching for a private sector partner. Any member who has knowledge of or connections with any potential private sector partner anywhere in the world should contact me or the General Manager.

4. The Trust
4.1 Once the HLF delivered its withdrawal blow in January 2004, the Trust reviewed its management and costs in the knowledge that it would need to remain a going concern for the lengthy period necessary to enter into a new agreement for the future of the pier. Major economies have been made in the running of the Trust; in particular, we now rely on voluntary labour other than the General Manager (and Rachel is now employed for only three days a week). We can just balance the books, but we are reliant upon your subscriptions. Please continue in membership, and encourage your friends to join. It is essential that the Trust remains in being to ensure that its stewardship role of the site is a strong voice in the future of that site. Our history derives from the supporters who fought to save the West Pier in the 1970’s and we will continue the essence of that struggle in the changed circumstances of 2005.
4.2 In addition to the economies in our administration, the Trust has strengthened its leadership. Glynn Jones, the retired Chief Executive of BHCC, and I are now joint Deputy Chairmen assisting Sir Lindsay Bryson as our Chairman. Glynn’s expression of commitment to the West Pier despite the many other calls on his experience is most welcome.

5. Conclusion
5.1 The sand has shifted. We cannot hold onto our wish to restore the old West Pier. We can try to ensure that what replaces it contains as much of the old lady as possible and is of a quality that matches the standard set by Eugenius Birch. Stay with us.
5.2 Our reduced administration means that I cannot tell you when we will produce another newsletter. We will do so if anything crucial or dramatic happens. In the meantime, we will rely on you seeing reports in the media and we will keep our website (www.westpier.co.uk) as up to date as possible.

24th January 2005 Dr Geoff Lockwood
Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive

16th March 2005
West Pier Story - The history of the West Pier. A FREE illustrated lecture by Jackie Marsh-Hobbs

Look back at the heyday of the West Pier, from a promenading pier to a place of delightful entertainment and enjoyment. With the help of magnificent slides, see how summers used to be spent.

Wednesday 16 March 2005 7.30pm to 8.30pm, Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton

No booking needed. Just come on 16th March. Doors open 7:15pm.

Click here to download the poster (pdf format)