Winter work goes on

by Nigel Brown Nov 09 2020 4     1,926
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November 9, 2020

 

A full programme of winter work continues on Clacton Pier while it remains closed to the public.

The second lockdown has meant the landmark has had to stop operating its various indoor and outdoor attractions until at least December 2, but there is still plenty going on behind the scenes.

The Pier’s in-house property maintenance team are busy on a number of projects around the 6.5 acre site.

This includes the on-going strengthening of the 3,000 plus piles which hold up the structure, many of which are more than 90-years-old.

Rides are being independently tested and checked over and will have their annual inspection completed by the end of the month.

The various component parts for the new Looping Star Roller Coaster have been arriving on site over the past week and the aim is to have that up and running for next season.

At the same time staff and outside contractors are creating Santa’s North Pole Experience along with his grotto, a life-size reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, animatronic characters, and festive decorations ready for re-opening.

Director Billy Ball said it was a severe blow to go into a second lockdown, but life goes on.

“As a business we are closed to the public, but we need to make the most of that down time to get on with the winter jobs,” he said.

“Unfortunately, some of that work – such as maintaining the piles under the Pier – was neglected for many years by previous owners. We are being proactive and have an on-going programme to ensure this is now being taken care of.

“There are numerous other maintenance projects, along with our preparations for a magical Christmas experience, which would have normally taken place while we were still open.

“This year we have this four week period when we can purely concentrate on these tasks and we have to make the most of the closure.”

Mr Ball added that he hopes the lockdown will end on December 2 as planned.

“Any further closure would be hard to swallow and we are looking forward to families being able to celebrate Christmas with us in a safe environment with all the necessary Covid measures in place,” he said.

Ends

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4Comments

Nigel Brown 3 years ago

Hi Susan, just to make it clear the pilings holding the Pier are concrete and reinforced with steel. However, they do need some attention after years of neglect by previous owners. The current owners have a programme underway to tackle this.

Susan Elliott 3 years ago

Sensible article, worrying about some of the wooden poles holding up the pier being 90 years old though.

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