Call to protect Promenade railings during £2.9M refurbishment

Call to protect Promenade railings during £2.9M refurbishment

A campaigning councillor has called for assurances that Southport’s historic Victorian Promenade railings will be protected and preserved during a £2.9million restoration project.

Work is underway to transform Southport Pier thanks to a £2million grant from the Coastal Community Fund, with the rest coming from Sefton Council’s pier contingency fund.

Cllr David Barton, who represents Dukes Ward, said he was concerned that some of the pier railings would be replaced with modern alternatives and that an important part of the town’s heritage would be lost as a result.

Cllr Barton, a leading campaigner for the restoration and regeneration of the town, said the pier railings had existed since 1882 when the North site was constructed and should be restored on a like-for-like basis, with any replacements matching exactly the original design.

He said: “Having been successful in aiding the Council to secure the necessary funding from the Coastal Community Funding by directly lobbying the Minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government back in 2015 this is a matter close to my heart.

“During my own ongoing consultation with the public regarding their views on how to improve Lord Street and the Promenade, the railings have always been a forefront issue and I shall be keeping a close eye to ensure these are not damaged again through destructive sandblasting, as was the case back in 2006.

“Many residents have contacted me directly to specifically request that sandblasting is never used again and that the greatest of care is shown to this prominent landmark.

“Despite all the best intentions this crude procedure has led to over a decade of neglect of these civic heritage features, which are enjoyed by the local community and indeed various forms of enterprise which deserve to benefit from a properly maintained streetscape.

“I am also now recommending that the Local Authority seeks to maintain this civic asset far more regularly to ensure the best value for money and the community’s confidence in the upkeep of the local environment as a whole.

“I also intend to raise these issues at the up and coming Sefton Council meeting whereupon I shall be further seeking more proficient utilisation of Council funding, especially S106 funds, in light of previous ill-thought out decisions.”