A cafe owner has told how his business has been left marooned after council chiefs shut down a pier. Colin Jamieson earned his livelihood on Southport Pier which was closed in December last year.
Now the 67-year-old has been left with no income and fears he won’t be able to provide for his family. Colin, who owns the Southport Pier Pavilion, the cafe, and arcade on the pleasure pier, said May and June are usually his most profitable months.
Sefton Council outlined £3million plans to replace the wooden beams which comprise the pier’s surface. Further damage was caused during freezing weather in December and the landmark in Southport, Merseyside, has remained closed
Colin told the Liverpool Echo: “It feels like an apocalypse. It is so empty. It’s not just the void of people. It’s the landscape, as far as the eye can see it is sea and sand. This place is part of my life and I have put all my effort into it along with my family. We have spent £400,000 renovating the café and arcade in the last two years.
“I think the pier could have been opened three days after the ice had melted in December. I was told the ice had gone into the timber and damaged it but have never seen any proof of that. No business can close - no matter how strong it is - and expect to carry on without money coming in for six months.
“I have got two daughters working down here and a son-in-law, they have all lost their income. I need to keep them afloat which is becoming more difficult as time goes by. It is getting to the point where we need compensation from the council or we will not survive.”
Since taking over the lease in 2003, Colin estimates he has invested over £1m in the business. The father-of-two said his income was already dropping when the council stopped the miniature railway operating on the pier - a move Colin believes cut 40 per cent of his revenue.
He said: “For this year alone, we have asked the council for £200,000 worth of compensation to cover our losses but so far we have had no reply. We either need to reopen it and repair the pier while it’s open or get the work done as fast as possible.
"The council don’t seem to be doing anything at the moment and no work has been done at all. Which seems ridiculous, it has been closed for six months and not even a screw has been put in.”
In 1990, the Grade II listed structure narrowly avoided demolition. In 2000, restoration work began, and it reopened to the public in 2002 thanks to work costing £7.2m. Colin said: “It is like a ghost town now and it has been abandoned. I have put a lot of money into this place and it is soul-destroying to see it like this.
“Every time I come down here I walk away depressed. It has taken a lot of years to get things right here and the council has a responsibility to the people of the town. People love it but what can we do.”
Sefton Council previously told the Echo: “The survey being carried out on Southport Pier involves a thorough and intrusive assessment of the 3,600ft structure. Due to the detailed nature of this assessment and the complexity of Southport Pier’s structure, the survey will take time to complete.
“However we will update both business owners directly and the public through our official communication channels as soon as possible.” The spokesperson added: “We appreciate this is a frustrating time for everyone but health and safety remains our priority.”
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