2004: a vintage year for reports

The not-so-dusty Pier report from 2004 has been the cause of much pulse-quickening, gander-upping and even name-calling. My insatiable curiousity compelled me to send my spies to the four corners of the earth to learn more, and here's some of what I have gleaned...

The report itself is made of unobtainium and is scarcer than unicorn poo - it appears that very few people have actually held a copy in their hands. It is not available on the Canterbury City Council website. It is not available anywhere online, as far as I know, but it will be available here shortly. One of my operatives based in the North Africa bureau traced a fragment of the elusive document through an antiquarian booksellers in Marrakech. By a great stroke of good fortune, it's the executive summary of the 2004 report, and is well worth a couple of glances.

• It turns out that people have been peering at the Pier on and off for decades: Feb 1974, Dec 1996, Jun 1998 and the now contentious 2004 report. In the meantime, of course, the Pier itself has been falling to bits.
• At the beginning of 2004, CCC chose PMP Consultants (from a shortlist of three) to produce a feasibility study into "a new pier at Herne Bay" in PMP's words, or "the rebuilding of Herne Bay pier" in Canterbury's words.
• The study was jointly funded by Canterbury City Council, Kent County Council and Tourism South East (now called Visit South East England), and was seen as being the first phase of the project: investigating the options for the new pier and assessing the economic viability of the project.
• In March 2004, CCC had the good manners to ask the people of Herne Bay about "the kind of facilities a new pier should provide". I'll see if I can track down what, if anything, they were told.
• In May 2004, PMP delivered their report on the future of Herne Bay Pier - here's the summary.
• In June 2004, CCC announced that PMP had delivered the report, and gave their own summary of PMP's findings - do feel free to compare the two and play spot-the-difference.

2004 Pier Report: CCC summarise the findings

Consultants report on pier's future

Consultants have concluded there is the potential to develop Herne Bay pier into a major attraction that could help regenerate the town as a thriving seaside resort. However, their report makes it clear that there is no prospect of attracting sufficient public or private funding, in the foreseeable future, to restore the full three-quarter-mile long pier.

The report, by specialist leisure consultancy firm PMP, says it may be possible to extend the existing pier for a short distance and introduce new commercial leisure facilities to provide an all-year attraction. PMP found a strong level of commercial interest in developing the pier, but said the income from the private sector needs to be offset against the high costs of developing over water compared to land. They considered the most successful commercial use is likely to be restaurants, bars, a casino and family entertainment.

The report stresses that there will need to be considerable effort to secure external funding to achieve this form of redevelopment. It also highlights the need for a clear strategy for the regeneration of Herne Bay. A key part of this will be the future of the sports centre, which currently occupies the main pavilion on the pier. The consultants believe it cannot continue to provide the quality of facilities required in modern sports centres and say it will be essential to upgrade it, which could be more easily achieved on a new site within the town.

The study was commissioned earlier this year by Canterbury City Council, Kent County Council and Tourism South East. PMP's report will be presented to the city council's Executive in July when decisions will be taken on further study work into producing a regeneration action plan, relocating the sports centre and developing details of options for the pier. Canterbury City Council's Executive member for leisure, Cllr Roger Matthews, said:

"The city council's Executive will be able to use this report as the basis for a clear strategy for rebuilding Herne Bay pier as part of an overall regeneration action plan for the town. It may not be possible to achieve the full-length pier immediately, but we are very hopeful that we can provide residents and visitors with a major new facility. In the future, when the financial climate may be easier, I hope we can look to extending the pier progressively towards its former length."

Kent County Council's Cabinet member for regeneration, Alex King, said:

"We have been keen participants in this study from the outset. I am now looking forward to seeing how potential commercial development on the shorter pier can impact upon Herne Bay's prosperity within a wider regeneration programme for the town itself and provide a basis for further development in the future."

CCC website 29 June 2004

2004 Pier Report: PMP executive summary

Herne Bay needs a major visitor attraction if it is to thrive in the 21st century, a pier could provide such an attraction and could be the catalyst for regeneration and prosperity. There is the potential to provide a new pier which would "help regenerate Herne Bay as a thriving seaside town with good employment opportunities for local people" but there would need to be considerable effort in securing external funding.

Executive summary

PMP was appointed by Canterbury City Council in February 2004 to undertake a feasibility study into a new pier at Herne Bay. The consultancy team was comprised of:

• PMP (a specialist sport and leisure consultancy),
• Marks Barfield Architects,
• Donaldsons (property consultants),
• Yolles (structural engineers) and
• Gardiner and Theobold (cost consultants).

The aim of the study is to put forward technically feasible ideas for rebuilding the pier and to assess the financial viability and achievability of proposals. Two main types of proposals have been assessed:

• rebuild to the style of the former pier, with free public access and limited commercial development
• develop a large-scale commercial complex intended as a spur to regenerate the town as a major regional centre for leisure, maritime activities and other visitor attractions. Options for varying the length of the pier may have been considered.

The primary objective of the project is:

"to help regenerate Herne Bay as a thriving seaside town with a strong local economy and provide good employment opportunities for local people"

Five key conditions must apply to any proposal:

1. the pier must be accessible to local people
2. the present or improved sports facilities must be incorporated within the pier complex or be relocated to an appropriate alternative site within the town
3. the proposal will need to be fully funded by external sources, primarily the private sector. lt must not be assumed that significant capital or revenue sums will be available from Kent County Council or Canterbury City Council to fund this project nor to underwrite any losses
4. the project must be financially, environmentally and technically sustainable in the long term
5. any improvements required to the highway and transport network and other essential infrastructure development work must have a realistic prospect of being deliverable.

Summary of Conclusions

Herne Bay needs an attraction...

• Herne Bay needs a major visitor attraction if it is to thrive in the 21st century, a pier could provide such an attraction and could be the catalyst for regeneration and prosperity.

...but it also needs an overall strategy

• A missing component at this stage, however, is a clear strategy for the regeneration of Herne Bay. This is one of the fundamental points in Sea Changes, the strategy for resort regeneration. lt also anticipates the first question which will be asked by any potential funding body: "so where does the pier sit in the bigger scheme of things?"
• Furthermore, the pier project and the regeneration strategy are more likely to be successful if they are placed in the wider East Kent context. This will be the case for the tourism product as a whole. Redevelopment of the pier alongside projects such as the Turner Centre in Margate and the reputation of Whitstable as a character destination will add to the critical mass and will help maintain the vitality of the area for visitors.

Strong commercial interest

• There is a strong level of commercial interest in developing on a new pier; however, the income from the private sector needs to be offset against the substantially increased costs of developing over water compared to developing on dry land.
• A casino would provide the main attraction on the commercial pier. It would be complemented by other uses to ensure a family friendly environment and all day/ year round interest.
• There is no certainty that a boat operation from the end of the pier would be commercially viable, so the rationale for providing a ¾ mile long pier must be questioned. Furthermore, any long pier option has a major cost which makes commercial viability impossible. Therefore, it is more beneficial to concentrate on short pier options.

The four main options arising

1. The two main options in the brief - a traditional pier and a modern, commercial pier - need to be seen in the context of two additional options: do nothing, and demolition.
2. "Do nothing" would mean that Herne Bay continues with the present pier and sports pavilion until both facilities, inevitably, decline to the extent that they are no longer functional or viable. At present this is costing the council £70,000 per year (£45,000 for the sports hall and £25,000 for pier maintenance) plus an additional £272,000 required in maintenance over four years just to keep the sports centre to its current standard (source: IPF condition survey).
3. If the pier were allowed to decay it would have a significant negative impact on the town. Furthermore, closure at the end of its life would force the issue of replacement in any case (with all the associated capital costs).
4. Demolition would avoid the problems that come with decay and dereliction (vandalism, public safety, blight, etc) but it would be a depressing and premature end to the pier. lt is not a way forward that we would recommend.

No self funding options

• Our analyses have shown that none of the options are self funding and all are likely to require some level of support from public grants, ranging from £0.6m to £12.8m. Clearly, options at the higher end of the scale are unlikely to be deliverable. There are a number of public sector grants available and the pier could make an attractive funding proposition based on its regenerative potential.
• To summarise, there is the potential to provide a new pier which would "help regenerate Herne Bay as a thriving seaside town with good employment opportunities for local people" but there would need to be considerable effort in securing external funding.

Recommendations

• This report is used as the basis for consultation with external funding organisations to clarify the level, likelihood and timing of additional funds.
• A regeneration strategy and masterplan for Herne Bay is prepared, setting the pier and other local initiatives in context, and ensuring that infrastructure improvements are not undertaken in isolation.
• Further public consultation takes place on the emerging options.
• There is a detailed feasibility study into the relocation of the sports centre.
• Further technical studies are undertaken into construction options in order to provide greater cost certainty, and to explore routes for cost reduction.

2004 Pier Report: CCC asking for opinions

Herne Bay pier - have your say

Consultants working on the study into the feasibility of rebuilding Herne Bay pier are asking local residents about the type of facility they would like to see and how it would benefit the town. A special website and email address has been set up to allow the public to make suggestions and put forward ideas for any new pier. The consultant, PMP and associates, has stressed that, as piers are very expensive to build and run, it is important to ensure that commercial interests can generate sufficient profits to cover these costs.

Canterbury City Council, Kent County Council and Tourism South East are jointly funding the study, which is now underway. The consultant is concentrating on the economic case and possible funding for the project and will be approaching a number of potential commercial investors. City council joint executive member for leisure, Cllr Roger Matthews, said:

"We're aware many people in Herne Bay have ideas as to the kind of facilities a new pier should provide and now is the time to send them in. The consultant will look at every comment they receive, so I would urge local people to make their views known."

CCC website 02 March 2004

2004 Pier Report: CCC announces kick-off

Pier study consultants appointed

Consultants have been appointed by the city council to carry out a feasibility study into the rebuilding of Herne Bay pier. PMP Consultants, a specialist leisure consultancy firm, have been selected from the three high quality tenders the city council received. The council will be meeting with the company next week to discuss the study in detail and agree its timescale.

It is hoped phase one of the study, which will investigate options for the new pier and assess the economic viability of the project, will be completed by the spring. If this initial report proves positive, further work will need to be carried out by the consultant to draw up a scheme in more detail, set out the likely impact and benefits for the town and establish a full business case for private investment. City council joint executive member for leisure, Cllr Roger Matthews, said:

"We're pleased to have chosen the consultants for this study. All three bids were of a high standard and the council now looks forward to working with PMP Consultants to establish whether the rebuilding of Herne Bay pier is a viable project."

PMP will work on the study alongside Marks Barfield Architects, who were the company behind the design of the London Eye and received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for that project in April 2003. Canterbury City Council, Kent County Council and Tourism South East are jointly funding the first phase of the study.

CCC website 3rd Feb 2004