Facts & Figures

The wind speed difference between the land and sea ends of the pier is about 10-30mph

The maximum wind speed  the cranes can operate in is:
For man-riding approx 22mph exposed
for other lifting it is dependent on the Lift Supervisor but approx. 25mph.

Lightning is the biggest concern.  Much of the steelwork is measured and installed by rope access technicians

Welding temperatures are approximately 5000 degrees Celcius, for oxy-acetylene cutting, 3,500 degrees Celcius

Blow, blow, thou winter wind, Would Thou wert not so unkind ....(With apologies to Shakespeare and acknowledgement to Flanders & Swann)

The final works of the £14.2m refurbishment of Hastings Pier are to be completed over the coming weeks and we intend that the pier will be open to the public no later than the middle of April.

Over the past two and half years of rebuilding work, the pier – and the weather – have rewritten our timetable more than once but the last planking should be in place by end of February, leaving most of the remaining work inside the two buildings and therefore not impacted by weather.

Once construction concludes, we then have to fit out the spaces to make the Pier fully operational, including all of our heritage interpretation elements.

Our goal is to have the Pier fully operational by mid April, and if it is possible to enable public access prior to that date, then we will want to make that happen.

Simon Opie
Hastings Pier Charity CEO

Clearing up the debris. Heavy duty beach cleaning!

The Concrete Story

“Our works involved construction of a reinforced concrete slab on metfloor metal decking over the sea.  There were various issues involving dead load weights and possible use of lightweight concrete  however the main concern was dealing with the distance to pump the concrete a total of 160m in length was pumped with the pour being halted 2m3 short of completion.  The line was then disconnected from the concrete pump and attached to a standard two tool compressor; this was then used to blow the line through pushing the remaining concrete through the line and into the pour, thus cleaning the line completely and avoiding the need for any messy clean up or emptying of lines.  The shortfall was then topped up with 1 ton bags filled with concrete and placed in brickies' muck bins to complete the pour.

Total area 450 m2 total volume of concrete 75m3.  Total time to place 6 hours 3 wagons on turn around.

There was a huge amount of concern over this pour as it was clear to all concerned how bad it would be if the pour did not go well , fair play to all concerned for the time and effort put in to help ensure all went well on the day of the pour from the volunteers of the Hastings Pier Charity who gave up their time to assist in the marshalling of the traffic, the local  council and constabulary who were understanding regarding our restricted space to park concrete pumps and concrete mixers wagons.

A massive thanks to the Project Manager over the entire refurb of the pier,  Mr David Spooner, without who. I doubt the project would ever be done,  truly a pleasure to work with, undaunting in his energy and in his ability to resolve problems with good old fashioned common sense .  A big thanks to his site team and to the photographer John Cole who kept the Sikh concrete gang  amused by demonstrating his ability to speak Punjabi.

A big thanks to Brett concrete technical, lab tech team and reps for their patience and their expertise in creating a suitable mix design for this job and being there all day in the rain taking the slump tests and the cubes.  Another big thanks to  South Coast Pumps again for their patience, advice on suitable mix design and their  flexibility in being able to set up the lines days in advance of the pour.

The steel decking was supplied by Nick Robotham of SWUK Steel decking, originally not the first choice however, after being let down quite late in the day Nick stepped in at short notice, was extremely helpful in technical issues, and very quick to come back with a price which was most competitive, so a big thanks to Nick.  In fact  all the suppliers were a pleasure to deal with and gave great service  on a scheme were their input and support  was of paramount importance. “ 

Where the Pier's at!

January 2016

Construction update The end of the Pier Restoration is nearly at hand, and it is a good time to reflect upon what has been achieved in the past two years. Around 70% of the high-level steelwork, which has taken the form of 320 trusses and 850 deck beams, has been replaced.  Over 400 new bull rails and nearly 700 sets of cross bracing have been installed. In all, some 3,000 tonnes of new steel has been fixed.  On top of the steel, all of the timber has been renewed.. There are 50 miles of new deck boards fixed with half a million screws.  These boards are built on 18 miles of joists fixed with 12,000 bolts.  All 1,000 tonnes of Ekki timber is from 100% sustainable resources. There have been many different companies involved with the Construction; the majority of these have been local organisations.  FPE steelworkers and TimberCraft carpenters have formed the backbone of the labour force throughout.  The other contractors and specialists have been here as needed to give us our typical labour strength of 50-60 people. In all over 400 people have worked on the Pier, and each has played a valuable part in getting it to where it is today. The Visitor Centre is coming to completion inside, and outside the cladding with old deck boards is progressing well.  The arena seating on the North end is now being constructed and the glass balustrade will shortly be fixed around the roof. Fitting out of the Old Bandstand Pavilion for the new restaurant is underway.  Everything is now in the final stages heading towards completion early in the New Year ready for the Grand Opening.

We soldier on ...........

Due to limited access before the start of the work, knowledge of the structure was limited and therefore a lot of assumptions had to be made about the condition of the structure.  In reality things were worse than had been assumed and there was more steelwork to replace.

And then there was the weather to contend with, and, in particular, the damage to the structure caused by the storms in February 2014.  Even now, Mother Nature is in control - the constant high winds over the past six weeks have severely restricted operations at the Pier Head.  As mentioned before, there are only the last twelve trusses to install, and a couple of calm-weather weeks will (would!) see these in place.

Facing Facts......

The visitor target is 330,000 per year, with an average ‘per head’ spend of £4 while
on the pier. An annual total revenue therefore of £1.3million.

Hastings Pier Charity (HPC) will only receive a proportion of this income. Most
consumer revenues will go to food and beverage operators, who will only stay on
the pier if doing so is profitable and it is feasible for them to pay the rent (£150,000 for
the main two operators in 2016 rising to £230,000 in 2027).

It is vital to consider the sort of overall commercial offer that will ensure this
income is achieved, and to attract the right mix of businesses to generate the desired
footfall.

Particular challenges include the seasonality of the pier – it will mostly be
operating in deficit from October to May

Have you spotted the art work on the Eastern side of the Visitor Centre?

Haven't checked the western side yet, only noticed this yesterday.  Can't get a decent photo at the moment because of (very necessary!) portaloo.  Watch this space.

New Year decorations in the Ocotpussy's Garden (well, it will be, at high tide!)

Hastings has made it on to the Guardian’s prestigious travel hotlist for 2016 - thanks to the pending reopening of the town’s pier.

The newspaper’s ‘Where to go on holiday in 2016’, released on January 1, features a list of must-visit destinations for the 12 months ahead.

These are chosen based on new flights, new openings, anniversaries and special events for 2016.

Read more: http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/local/guardian-puts-hastings-on-its-travel-hotlist-1-7141361#ixzz3w6U1LdjH

Hastings, UK
Not the end of the pier showhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/jan/01/2016-holiday-guide-where-to-goHastings Pier has a roller coaster history: it opened in 1872, boomed in the 1930s and hosted bands including the Rolling Stones in the 1960s and 70s. It closed in 2008 after being damaged by a storm, then was almost destroyed by fire in 2010. But it is about to get a new lease of life, reopening on 21 March after a massive transformation, thanks in part to a £11.4m Heritage Lottery grant. The new-look pier will host farmers’ markets, urban sports, outdoor cinema and gigs – plus more traditional seaside promenading. And there’ll be a grand opening party in May.

A bit of culture........

Cultural offerings are likely to include speciality markets and outdoor cinema, Music, folk and
arts/heritage festivals.

The pier will also host seasonal festivals such as the Summer Family Festival in July/August; a Halloween event in October, and Christmas Festival in December.

Parts of the visitor centre will be available for private hire events. There will also be plenty of
scope for interest group activities (e.g. classic bike and car shows, antiques fairs and urban
sports events).

Congratulations Jess!

Jess Steele, Director, Jericho Road Solutions receives an OBE for services to Community Assets in the UK.