Protest against pier footbridge closure is branded ‘pointless’

Chairman of Whitby Harbour Board Coun Mike Cockerill said the march, which is being planned by residents in the town on Sunday, would “achieve nothing” as repair work was definitely going ahead.

Scarborough Council closed the footbridge, which links the West Pier and the West Pier extension, at the beginning of September over fears for public safety after an investigation revealed it had deteriorated beyond repair due to high winds and waves.

The decision caused a massive outcry among residents and visitors who demanded immediate action and questioned how long the council had known the bridge was in a state of disrepair.

But Coun Cockerill said the board had only known about its poor state following a detailed probe which was carried out last month, after a harbour condition report identified that work needed to be carried out in the “near future”.

He said: “People haven’t known about the condition for a long time, despite what people think. Maintenance across the borough has fallen by the wayside for many years because there hasn’t been the money to do it. You don’t maintain these things and they fall down and you have got to replace them.

“I’m very pleased with the senior borough officers and senior councillors who have basically said we must have this bridge reinstated and there will be a report going to the full council on November 7 asking for permission to spend the money. In the meantime there is already some preliminary work being carried out.”

The repairs have been estimated at £182,000 – with £10,000 earmarked for the demolition of the existing bridge, which will be replaced with a new walkway.

But even if councillors approve the funding in November, the work might not begin until next June due to the project being surrounded by red tape.

Coun Cockerill said: “The main thing is to get working on the bridge and get it back as soon as possible. Having said that it could be the middle of next year before it’s back in place, as with a lot of these things there is a lot of red tape we have to get through, such as the procurement process.”

The closure of the West Pier came as a further blow to residents who continue to wait for repairs to be completed on the cut-off East Pier extension after it was shut in 2001.

Coun Cockerill said: “That’s a totally separate matter. There’s certainly nothing new with that at the moment. Having said that when I was talking to officers and giving them the estimate for the East Pier repairs, I asked them if it was an appropriate time to reinstate the East bridge – a sort of buy one get one free – but I was told it would be at least double the cost.

Describing the East Pier as a “whole different ball game”, Coun Cockerill said the council had no plans to reopen it in the foreseeable future, however stabilisation work had been completed last month.

“From a health and safety point of view it is not as good as the West Pier due to its actual surface and all the nooks and crannies in it. There is also no wall to stop anybody walking off the end of it. There are certainly different implication with the East side and I don’t think it’s just a case of reinstating the bridge. The repairs will cost a lot more because of other works that are deemed necessary,” he said.

Yesterday Scarborough Borough council’s head of tourism and culture Brian Bennett issued a stark warning to protesters ahead of the march on Sunday.

He said: “We accept that some local residents wish to conduct a protest about the temporary closure of the west pier footbridge. However, we must stress that people should not access the footbridge under any circumstances. We appeal to everyone to respect the closure and in doing so, protect their own safety.”