Birnbeck Pier project cliff face repair work starts

Work to repair the cliff face behind the landside buildings at Birnbeck Pier, part of North Somerset Council’s restoration project, starts today (Tuesday 29 October).

A photo taken in March 2022 during a drone survey of the landside buildings at Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare.
Birnbeck Pier - landside aerial view March 2022. Credit: Mann Williams

This is necessary to make the cliff face between Birkett Road the Pier Master’s Cottage safe, and needs to be undertaken in advance of the restoration of the buildings and the pier itself.

This involves highly skilled rope access specialists abseiling down the cliff face to carry out repairs including:

  • removing any loose rocks and debris from the cliff face,
  • installing steel anchor bolts at the top and base of the cliff,
  • installing a new steel mesh safety netting system over the cliff face,
  • removing the existing damaged railings at the top of the cliff on Birkett Road and installing a temporary edge protection system.

A small modern block building and wall at the base of the cliff will also be carefully demolished.

This work, which is being led by contractor Vertical Technology, is due to be completed by the end of November.

To find out more about the Birnbeck Pier project, visit the information hub next to the pier or the council’s website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/birnbeckpierproject.