Permanent repairs to Worthing Pier to begin next month as costs fall by £380,000
Permanent repairs to Worthing Pier are due to begin in August, nearly two years after storm damage forced the landmark to close unexpectedly.
Worthing Borough Council says the work will provide a long-term solution to strengthen the Victorian pier after storms in October 2024 damaged supporting piles, making the structure unsafe and leading to its immediate closure.
"Council officers worked rapidly with specialist engineering companies to have a temporary steel support structure designed and built to sit underneath the weakened section of the pier and give it extra strength,” a spokesperson for the local authority said.
"Now, after 18 months of work by council and specialist engineers, a solution has been developed that will give the pier new foundations to allow it to stand against the elements without the need for the steel support structure.
"The plan involves removing a number of existing columns and piles, including their pile foundations and concrete casings from below the surface of the beach. New piles will then be driven into the ground to support the pier, with bull bars and ties fitted to the new piles to provide additional strength.”
Once all repair work is complete, the temporary support structure will be ‘dismantled and removed’, the council said.
It added: “The hope is that by doing the work in the summer and early autumn when the weather conditions and tides are generally easier to work in, the project will be able to be completed more quickly and more cost effectively, with the pier able to remain open at the same time.
"The project is now forecast to cost up to £550,000 – down from the original £930,000 estimate – as the solution designed involves working from below the pier rather than having to remove and then refit the timber deck and supports to access the piles.”
It is hoped that activity will begin on site in August and will be complete before the end of autumn, the council said.
Council leader Caroline Baxter said: "When we installed the temporary steel support beneath the pier in December 2024, we said it would give us the time needed to develop a permanent solution. I'm delighted that we're now able to take that next step and deliver permanent repairs.
“Our pier is one of Worthing's best-loved landmarks and a huge part of our coastal heritage. Looking after it isn't just about maintaining a structure - it's about protecting a place that means so much to local people and continues to attract visitors from across the country.
“This is about taking pride in Worthing, protecting what makes our town special and making sure our iconic pier can be enjoyed for generations to come."
The ‘major repair work’ on the pier will be carried out during each month’s spring low tides. This is when the tide goes out far enough for the team to have a ‘good amount of time on the beach’.
The council explained: “During the warmer months, low tides last for longer periods and the weather is less severe – providing safer conditions for work on the beach and the pier.”
The announcement comes as the pier's landing stage has reopened following maintenance work. The platform, used primarily by Worthing's fishing community, has had degraded handrails replaced and is now considered safe for public use, although some additional work will continue when tidal conditions allow.
Alongside the major repair project, ‘regular routine maintenance’ will continue beneath the pier, including replacing tie bars and bull bars and tightening structural fixings as part of the ongoing upkeep of the ageing structure.