£1.35m works to ‘extend the life’ of Scarborough’s west pier granted approval

Parking on West Pier, Scarborough - pic Richard Ponter

Approval has been granted for a £1.35m project that will undertake “essential” works on Scarborough’s west pier following a detailed underwater dive survey which revealed that “accelerated corrosion” has taken place in the walls of the pier

Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, November 15, council officer Chris Bourne, said: “The most recent underwater survey found accelerated low-water corrosion within the piles which had resulted in some holes in the piles and also some thinning and reduction in the thickness of the piles.”

Mr Bourne added: “It’s very important to say that these piles are not at the end of their life and this is why it is a routine maintenance project.

“This is not unexpected. We had been anticipating from previous surveys that major repairs would be required in the near future, and that time is now.”

A report states that the piles were constructed around 35 years ago and the works are estimated to extend the life of the structure by 10 years “and prevent its failure”.

Financing of the project will be split between different council funds, with £900,000 coming from the authority’s harbour reserves, £150,000 from a capital budget previously earmarked for Scarborough piers, and £300,000 from the council’s capital infrastructure budget identified in the 2022 financial strategy.

The cabinet also approved a contingency and inflation allowance of £320,000 which members were told was required due to the risks of working in a marine environment.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Janet Jefferson, the portfolio holder for corporate resources, said: “We have discussed at the harbour user group the disruption this could cause, and we are going forward with the plan where vessels will be moved in the harbour to accommodate the works when they hopefully commence in September 2023.”

Additionally, the cabinet committee approved the procurement of a contractor from the YORcivil framework “using a two-stage procurement process”, as well as granting authority to enter into an agreement “with the contractor offering the most economically advantageous tender”.

Consultant Mott MacDonald has been employed to interpret the findings of the surveys and to develop a scheme of repairs.

The west pier is situated in the south bay of Scarborough harbour and is home to the fish market, harbour office, public toilets, and a selection of coastal-related businesses.