Another reason to knock down the West Pier

[Yorkie]

problem with the West pier is this: its so fcuked that you'd have to rebuild it form scratch. Which means a new "design" as you wouldnt be allowed to build a new structure exactly like the original as it wouldnt conform to modern building/safety specs.

No, it isn't.

The remaining girders are structurally sound apart from the gap which can be filled in fairly easily.
In fact it is a tribute to Victorian engineering that it is so strong and has withstood so much.

It is only the superstructure which needs replacing.

 

[Marc]

all you lot saying its heritage this and listed building that....THERES NOTHING LEFT OF IT! its a pointless rusty pile of poles thats an eye-sore on a half-decent coastline, rebuilding it would be cack and it would never be "like it was".

Build a new pier with new amenitys and the like, not a stretched out 1900 'nostalgic' piece of 'historical' garbage

 

[Yorkie]

all you lot saying its heritage this and listed building that....THERES NOTHING LEFT OF IT! its a pointless rusty pile of poles thats an eye-sore on a half-decent coastline, rebuilding it would be cack and it would never be "like it was".

Build a new pier with new amenitys and the like, not a stretched out 1900 'nostalgic' piece of 'historical' garbage

I'll agree to disagree with you . I remember it as it was but I also think there is a beauty about the skeleton that is left now.

 

[CHAPPERS]

all you lot saying its heritage this and listed building that....THERES NOTHING LEFT OF IT! its a pointless rusty pile of poles thats an eye-sore on a half-decent coastline, rebuilding it would be cack and it would never be "like it was".

Build a new pier with new amenitys and the like, not a stretched out 1900 'nostalgic' piece of 'historical' garbage

It's been a part of Brighton from day one and should be restored to it's former glory.

Me and a mate ran down there when it was burning down because we thought that was it. Didn't want to leave at all just in case it was the last time i would ever see it. It holds something magical and if ever it is removed/knocked down I will shed more than a single tear.

f*** the money it's gonna cost and the time it's gonna take, there are more important things in this life and restoring that Pier is one of them.

 

[Marc]

I too shall agree to disagree, maybe they can restore it and build a new one next to it so we are the only place in the world to have 3 piers!

 

[CHAPPERS]

Plus if it's knocked down those ****s that own the other pier will have won and that just ain't right.

 

[Brixtaan]

build build build.

 

[beorhthelm]

Originally posted by Yorkie It is only the superstructure which needs replacing. [/B]

Only the superstructure? It all might look sound, but i dont reckon the pillars would actual pass muster for any new development given after being neglected for so many years. If its at all sound, then why hasnt it been fixed up or at least maintained in some way? Because its (quietly) known to be a lost cause, so council after council has let it be.

I would love to see something done to restore it but recogonise the problems any proposal will face, and know that nothings ever going to happen.

I like the skeletal remains too.

 

[Yorkie]

I'm sure I read somewhere that it has been shown to be structurally sound.
I could be wrong though.

 

[Lush]

Knock it down. It ain't what it was and it never will be again.

Put up something fabulous that befits a modern forward-thinking city. Think the Millenium Bridge or the Gherkin in London - only a pier!!!

 

[perseus]

Bridge to Nowhere

It is unique. The unique bit is that is slightly tilted and mangled.

Otherwise it is like the other piers Eugenius built.

I suspect it was never structually sound in the first place. Not when it was first built. Because it was so wobbly, they had to repile the whole caboodle to stop it falling down over a century ago.

If you build restore? an aircraft and over 75% is replacement bits it is a replica. If you restore ? a pier and over 98% is replacement bits and it is only a pretend facismile (only superficially looking like the original) it is a fake.

 

[Yorkie]

Knock it down. It ain't what it was and it never will be again.

Put up something fabulous that befits a modern forward-thinking city. Think the Millenium Bridge or the Gherkin in London - only a pier!!!

The Millenium Bridge that had to close within days because it was so wobbly??

The Victorians had better engineering skills than we have now.

 

[perseus]

Why was there no insurance cover before.

This is because the owners of the West Pier (although legally obliged to do so) were responsible for repairing it, but they could not be bothered to do it, because it was not making any money.

So when the Council found out they sold the pier to another company for a £1 and pleaded poverty.

The other company did have assets though, like the Bedford Hotel that burned down in mysterious circumstances.

I expect they could not get any insurance even if they wanted to after that!

PS: People will get killed if they ever tried to restore that monstrosity. It was too dangerous under the water in 1971, (this is because the previous owners deliberately neglected it, just like Bellotti deliberately neglected the Goldstone).

 

[perseus]

PS: I don't think the superstructure is built brand new to the original design (definitely not) or the second revised design (not so much a design but an emergency bodge up) would pass the safety requirements nowadays.

Not only that the current design is so wasteful of iron (would the fake use the original iron or would they use steel?) that the rebuilders of the pretent facisimile may be tempted to take a short cut and not include the girders not needed in the replacement.

All told, it is a shoddy pretence, wasting everybody's time as the West Pier was well beyond redemption in 1971.

 

[Brixtaan]

Knock it down. It ain't what it was and it never will be again.

Put up something fabulous that befits a modern forward-thinking city. Think the Millenium Bridge or the Gherkin in London - only a pier!!!

so, a millenium gherkin,in the water?

thank christ the council are running things.

 

[Row Z Creased Shirt]

Whatever they are going to do, they should hurry up and bloody well get on with it. In its pre arson state I was all in favour of a restoration, it was beautiful structure and it would have retained many of the orginal features, but now it is nothing but a hollow wreck. What we would be getting now is a copy not a restoration.

I think the new pier should be something new and exciting, a millenium gherkin hmmm...., I'm sure the argus would love to print the drawings, get your pencil out Lush.

However, whatever is decided to do they should stop fannying about and get on with it.

 

[perseus]

Row Z suggests that the arson was the reason why it should be pulled down.

What I would say it was the terrible neglect by the owners in the post-WWII years, not helped by flaws in the original construction and choice of location that were responsible.

The damage was extensive and hidden and by 1971 it had had it for restoration purposes.

The pretence came with the idea it could be restiored even then,. Since then the problem has multiplied to the riduiculous. The arsonists should not be given credit of what the owners achieved by neglect.

That would be like saying the if the Albion moved out of the Goldstone it was because somebody burnt down the West Stand, when we would know it was years of neglect and a could not care less attitide by Bellotti and Stanley and those before them and the flaws were hidden as well.

PS: In the 1971, in the promotion season, the under capacity and problems at the Goldstone were first really apparent and fair weather supporters feeling uncomfortable with the crushes in 30,000 + crowds against Bournemouth and Rochdale and lots of 25,000 plus crowds in Division 3. The following season the Albion got relegated so the problems were shelved again.

 

[Bozza]

and choice of location that were responsible.

At last, someone addresses the real problem.

Why, oh why did they not build the West Pier at Pende? Schoolboy error methinks...

 

[NMH]

BLOODY HELL - IT'S DONE, IT'S A SCRAP HEAP IN THE OCEAN !

For fux sake someone haul that eyesore away and get it over with

 

[Storer68]

main prob is that its a grade 1 listed building and you can't knock those down.

and the money, £16m, is set aside for its restoration not its re-creation. ie if you want it restored to look like it did, then you can have the £16m.

If you want to build a new one, you can't have that £16m and will have to pay for it from other sources (council tax?)