Business owners are keen to see the landmark reopen for future generations to enjoy
Business owners are keen to see the landmark reopen for future generations to enjoy
Business owners in Southport have spoken out about their devastation around the continued closure of the town’s pier. The Grade II listed structure is set to celebrate its 165th birthday this year despite being shut since the end of 2022.
It was closed in December 2022 on the advice of engineers after a period of extreme weather. Subsequent analysis of the pier’s structure determined the popular attraction was no longer safe to use and it has been closed off for the last two years.
During this period, Southport residents and visitors have been eager for the pier to reopen while many local business owners say they are depending on it for survival.
Silcock Leisure Group, the family-run firm which has operated leisure attractions in Southport and Blackpool for generations, is eager for one of Britain’s “national treasures” to be reopened for future generations to enjoy. Silcock Leisure Group head of operations Serena Silcock-Prince said: “Southport people have been through a lot. They deserve to see their pier reopened.
“Some people have been against the idea, saying it is just people being ‘sentimental’, but it is not the case at all. Since Southport Pier has been closed, it has affected every business in our town in a negative way. Everyone has suffered because of the closure.
“The publicity, both regionally and nationally, has been very damaging. Every time a headline is published saying ‘Southport Pier [is] closed’, some people read it as ‘Southport [is] closed’.
“Reopening Southport Pier would give everyone such a huge boost. It is exactly what our town needs. I was born and bred in Southport. I grew up with the pier. I know what it means to everyone in our town, the special place it holds. It is so iconic, so recognisable.
“Southport has always been about Southport Beach. Southport Pier. The amusements. Lord Street. All the attractions. We need our pier back.”
In a damning post on social media, the owners of the Southport Pier Pavilion slammed Sefton Council and urged the local authority to complete the much-needed maintenance.
In the lengthy post about the closure, the local business said: “We will not give up and we will not be silenced, we do not shout about everything that is going on behind the scenes because it’s shockingly unbelievable. But all we hope for is support and respect from other local businesses in our community, many of whom are actually also suffering lack of trade due to our closure.
“Just to add that we as a family are Southport residents, we have had businesses in Southport for the last 40 years, we know what our customers and tourists alike want. We haven’t just come in to take profit and leave. Our heart and souls have been poured into this town. We should be pushing Sefton Council to get this moving, not against one another”
A spokesperson for Sefton Council said: “We continue to engage with a range of central and regional government departments and other parties over identifying funding for the refurbishment and longer-term maintenance of Southport Pier. In late 2024 we applied for Listed Building Consent for the future refurbishment works needed to re-open Southport Pier.
“By making this submission it enables Sefton Council and the Southport Pier team to have all necessary approvals in place for when funding is identified, allowing for works to commence quickly and efficiently.”
