New Bid to Restore the Pier

Written 04/01/03

A new attempt to win lottery funding to help restore Bognor's Pier is in the offing.

The new bid will be made sometime in the next few months. The first stage however, is to achieve charitable status for the newly set up group to oversee the restoration of the pier, which is owned by Bognor Pier Leisure Ltd.

Approval has been given by the Heritage Lottery fund for a fresh bid to be made.

Bognor's Pier - Currently a Grade II Listed Building

Plans for a safe and secure future for the pier comes not a moment too soon, and were revealed after news of Brighton's West Pier suffering a partial collapse.

Bognor's 1998 application was rejected after English heritage failed to upgrade the pier's status from a grade II listing to grade II*, citing the pier as not being historically important.

The pier has continued to be maintained by Bognor Pier Leisure Ltd, formed by John Ayers when he acquired the pier in 1998.