Pier Trust Rebuild Group put their case

Graham Cooper (formerly an HBPT Trustee, currently part of the Rebuild Group) posted this on the "official" Pier Trust Facebook site:

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Dear All,

Many of you will have no doubt seen the reports in the papers this week. Sadly the rebuild group were not asked for any comment or given the opportunity to repond by the Times. Here is a copy of a letter we sent to the Gazette, when they did ask us for comment.

The volunteers on the rebuild group are shocked to discover that the Trustees had already decided as early as February 2012 that their preferred option was a gradual rebuild and not the pier/marina proposal. Neither we nor the membership have been informed of this, even at the November AGM. We are also very disappointed at the rather sensationalist headlines in last week's HB Times and more recently the rather confused and unclear letter sent to pier trust members this week, both of which state a number of assumptions and figures which are taken out of context and both of which conveniently leave out the projected £18million injection into the local economy that would result from the pier/marina.

We have offered on a number of occasions to respond to any trustees queries in order to clarify what the report is saying. The Trustees have had the report since last November! However before we had a chance to respond to the concerns expressed by the Chair of the Trust, she has informed us that she will not communicate any further with us until she has sent a letter to members and presumably got their feed- back.

We are very concerned that last week's story and the Trust Chair's recent letter to members are giving a very one sided view of things and as a we are effectively unable to communicate our response to members in any other way, in the next week or so we will be publishing an open letter, providing a fuller response to concerns raised.

But for now, it is important to convey a few key messages to members and the public alike. Firstly, the Collier report is intended to offer a workable solution for a rebuilt pier and to demonstrate business viability. It is designed as a conceptual report and certainly not definitive in any particular detail. The report does offer an excellent insight into what is feasible and we should remember that Collier are one of the top three property and destinations experts in the world, that is why we hired them.

Secondly, we are puzzled as to the motive and timing behind these recent stories and the Chair's letter to members and refusal to communicate further with the rebuild team. This all certainly flies in the face of Doreen Stone's comments of the Trust's Facebook page last November:

"the Trust's Board is more stable at this time than it has been for a long time with ex-trustees and current trustees working together on options for the future of the pier. Two weeks ago we had a very friendly and useful meeting with John Gilbey, Leader of Canterbury City Council, who remarked on the unity of our team. There is a great deal of hard work and cooperation going on at present".

As far as we can see the only thing that has changed since last November is the excellent publicity and supporters that the pier/marina idea has attracted, why this should present the Trust with a problem we fail to understand.

Pier Trust Chair criticises Pier Trust Rebuild Group

This email went to HB Pier Trust members on 29th Jan:

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Yours Views are Urgently Sort

Dear Member

This email is crucial to the future direction of the Herne Bay Pier Trust. I earnestly ask you to respond, however briefly. For too long the feedback to trustees has come from a vocal minority and now we are seeking the views of the silent majority of members.
 
You may have seen on the front page of the HB Times last week the headline “£7.50 a day!” The article outlined the contents of the Collier Report which the Trust commissioned reluctantly because we were committed to it by the decisions of previous trustees. However, the article was right in many points. I feel the time has come for trustees other than the rebuild group to speak out.
 
A  project as massive as a long pier needs a considerable period of discussion and consultation before any decisions are fixed however fast the rebuild group are pressing forwards a marina project. Since reading the report carefully, several trustees, including myself, have serious reservations about the marina being tacked onto the long pier to which every trustee is committed. The long pier is the reason most of us joined the Trust and we certainly never envisaged people paying to walk onto their pier.
 
As a charitable Trust, we have a duty to act responsibly - first in the interest of the members, yourselves, and secondly in the interests of Herne Bay. The majority of trustees do not believe pursuing a marina pier is in those best interests. A Herne Bay Marina somewhere else would be brilliant we would fully support a group set up for this purpose.
 
We have appended belowere, undoctored, a summary of the facts and figures, which appear in the Collier Report to support the marina pier, for you to read and judge for yourselves.

Our reservations are as follows:

1. The idea that 175,000 visitors will pay £7.50 and 30,000 residents paying £30 annually to walk on their own pier is unrealistic and it goes completely against the concept of a pier for the residents of Herne Bay.  The profit from those projected entry fees, even after concessions, amount  to £3.8million  -  three times the profits projected for the marina (£1.1million) . I always imagined we would build  a free People’s Pier where residents can enjoy the sea views, have a coffee, read a paper, walk a dog, etc.  The cost proposed would make this the dearest pier in UK. (Southend £3.50, Cleveland £1.50) and the projected visitors are twice the number for Southend. 
    
2. A car park at the pier head said to be “critical” to the success of the marina”(estimated at 200 cars a day @ £10) would completely change the ethos of a promenade type pier. There are no costings in the report for the two-lane road which would have to be built up the pier to reach the car park. 
    
3. The potential fire hazard of fuelling ((fuelling profits in the report are projected at £45K a year) and 200 cars a mile out to sea is horrendous. Piers and fire have a horrible habit of being associated. 
    
4. The report implies that the long pier is not viable without a marina. This cannot be so. We agree the long pier should have something spectacular to bring visitors into the town. A sea-centre with viewing tunnels has been just one suggestion. The report contains many useful facts about other attractions and funding sources we can consider and there are many creative people in HB with the imagination to come forward with alternative unique selling points for a long pier. We should like to tap into their ideas and hold an exhibition and debate in the summer into the ideas people like. This should be exciting and fun for all Herne Bay to be involved in. 
    
5. When the Trust’s long pier aspirations were entrusted by the Board to a specific  trustee to form a rebuild team but always under the authority of the Board. But, since the AGM, the rebuild group which includes ex-trustees has become, in my opinion, a pressure group well working outside the remit of the Pier Trust Board – publishing articles in magazines we do not see, representing the Trust in the press, meeting Sir Roger Gale to discuss the marina project without our knowledge, commissioning stunning artists’ impressions which have appeared in the press and on the web. We need our members to know that the rebuild group and its marina project website, no longer reflect the views of the Herne Bay Pier Trust Board.
    
6. In February 2012, the Board voted to support a gradual rebuild approach to the long pier – first establishing the short pier as a vibrant place and then finding funding to build on promenade and second platform and so on, each stage supporting the funding of the next.  Ideas for attractions such a sea-world centre with viewing bays, retro rides, restaurants, cafes, retail outlets for quality goods, entertainment platforms and function areas for weddings and performance were put forward.

Your mandate is now vital to us as a Board.  Please take a little time to read through the attached set of facts and figures supporting the marina project. Then could you please email us back your views by the 28th February 2013.  
 
1. Do you wish us to develop in stages a free pier without a marina on the end - with attractions chosen in consultation with the members and the people of HB?
 
2. Do you give the Board (with me in the chair) your mandate to take firm control of  the Trust’s rebuild group?

Doreen Stone
Chairman

Summary of facts and figures in the Collier Report 
 
The project has two key concepts :
Marina and Visitor attractions
with two hubs: The Pier Piazza and the Sea Pavilion
 
The estimated annual income comes from 3 sources: Marina, Visitors and Rents
 
Costs of project :

1. Collier figures based on the Gifford Report

 
                                                                         Infrastructure   : £32.0m
                                                                         Marina             : £2.9m
                                                                         Project fees     : £3.2m
                                                                         Additional        : £1.0m
                                                                 Total for structure : £40.1million
 
This does not include a 2 lane vehicle access to parking for 200 cars at the marina - regarded as “critical” to the success of the marina by the Report
This does not include boat lifting for winter – also regarded as essential
 
2. Additional Costs from Collier                        Hotels             : £4.3
                                                                         Aquarium        : £3.8
                                                                         Restaurants    : £1.8
                                                                         Cinema           : £3.1 
                                                              Total for Pier Piazza: £13.3million
                                                                           Hotel/spa       : £6.3m
                                                                           Casino           : £1.3m
                                                                           Marina           : £0.4
                                                                           Boutiques      : £1.3
                                                       Total for Sea Pavilion      : £9.2 million
                                                                           Kiosks            :  £0.1m
                                                                           Water sports  : £0.4m
                                                                           Boat tours      : £0
                                                                           Cycle hire       : £0
                                                                           Play park        :  £0.3m
                                                                           Ticket offices  : £0.2.m
                                                                           Function pav  : £1.0m
                                                                           Other              : £1.0m
                                                 Total for Rented property      : £3.0million
 
Therefore total estimated costs = £66 million plus cost of 2-lane road, marina car park and boat lifting facility for winter. 
 
Annual Profits
3 sources profits : Marina, Visitors and Rents

1. Marina

 
i) Annual berths
Projected annual charge : £300 per metre per boat (based on average 10 metre boat) cp Ramsgate £205, Gillingham £149 and Swale £148
 
275 annual berths at estimated likely 80% occupancy = 220 boats @ £3000 = £660,000                                       Total in Report : £528,000
 
ii) Visitors berths

estimated as 86 per day x 175 days  @ £15 per day
                                                                   Total in Report : £375, 000 

iii) Commercial berths                                Total income : £23,000
 
iv) Fuel sales                                                Total income :£ 45,000 

v) Landing charges
 estimated 99,000 annually @£2.0 ea                        Total :£ 165,000
 
                                                Total income from marina £ 1.1million
                                                                                         (to investors?)
 
2. Visitor Profits
 
i)Admission charges
Estimated 750,000 annual visitors @ £7.50 per adult Total : £4.5million
And  30,000 @ £30 annually                                       Total :  £0.8million
                                                     Total after concessions    : £3.8 million
 
 
ii) Other visitor profits
150 Functions @£2,500                                                   £0.4m
274 in playpark per day @ £5                                          £0.5m
Festival                                                                             £0.4m
Parking on marina – 200 per day @£10                           £0.6m
Fishing – 25 a day @£5                                                    £38,000
 
                                                                                        Total :  £2million
 
                                                         Total profits from visitors : £ 5.8million 

3. Annual Profits from Rentals

2 restaurants                                                   £4.3m
2 cinemas                                                       £16,250
1 casino                                                          £200,000
1 marina clubhouse                                        £60,000
10 boutiques                                                   £150,000
Kiosks                                                             £45,000
Watersports centre                                         £30,000
Boat ticket sales                                             £10,000
 
Hotels
Based on annual estimated turnover of:
120 budget rooms @£75 @68% occupancy = 81 rooms per night = £6075 per night          
70 rooms @£200 @ 62% occupancy = 43 rooms per night = £8600 per night
                                                       Total Rental profit : £810,000
Aquarium
Based on 200,000 visitors annually @£14 with concessions =annual turnover£1.6million 
                                                       Total Rent @ 12% = £196,000
 
Cycles – (100 day = £233,000 @rent 15% = profit in rental)
                                                           Total rent            £ 35,000
 
3 Adrenaline attractions 
(7,300 per year @£8 = £46,000)    Total rental @ 20% = £ 9,000
 
Gross profits summary

Profits

1. marina            £1.1million
2. rents               £2.1million
3. visitors            £5.6million

                                                                   Total £8.8 million
 
Costs

Annual Salaries £800,000
Overheads £250,000
Depreciations £130,000                    
                                                                 Total £1.1 million

                                  Total profits after costs £7.7million                        
 
Staffing and employment opportunities (estimates)

Piazza: 72 :   Sea Pavilion 76;    Marina 29;    Other 34;   Festival time 3

                                              Total : 214 full/ pt time