Repo rt of the Select Co m m ittee on QUEENS PIER RAMSEY REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON QUEENS PIER RAMSEY At a sitting of Tynwald Court in May 2005 it was resolved that a Select Committee of three Members be established (i) to update the last report on the Pier; (ii) to seek professional advice upon a possible phased refurbishment, based on a realistic specification and programme of work, using local resources and extending over several financial years; (iii) to recommend who would be responsible for the repair, re-commissioning and operation of the Pier; and (iv) to report to the October 2005 sitting of Tynwald. Mr P Karran (Onchan) Chairman/Caairliagh Mr W E Tearè MHK (Ayre) Mr D M W Butt MLC The powers, privileges and immunities relating to the work of a committee of Tynwald are those conferred by sections 3 and 4 of the Tynwald Proceedings Act 1876, sections 1 to 4 of the Privileges of Tynwald (Publications) Act 1973 and sections 2 to 4 of the Tynwald Proceedings Act 1984. Copies of this Report may be obtained from the Tynwald Library, Legislative Buildings, Bucks Road, Douglas IMI 3PW (Tel 01624 685516, Fax 01624 685522) or may be consulted at www. tynwald.org.im All correspondence with regard to this Report should be addressed to the Clerk of Tynwald, Legislative Buildings, Bucks Road, Douglas IMI 3PW To: The Honourable Noel Q Cringle MLC, President of Tynwald, and the Honourable Members of the Council and Keys in Tynwald assembled Report of the Select Committee on QUEENS PIER RAMSEY PARTI The Select Committee's remit 1.1 At a sitting of Tynwald Court held on 18th May 2005 it was resolved that this Honourable Court, being concerned at the derelict state of the Queen's Pier in Ramsey and viewing with concern the continuing decay of the structure, is of the opinion that a review of the implications for its future is long overdue and appoints a select Committee of three Members with powers to take written and oral evidence pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of the Tynwald Proceedings Act 1876 for the following purposes: (i) to update the last report on the Pier; (ii) to seek professional advice upon a possible phased refurbishment, based on a realistic specification and programme of work, using local resources and extending over several financial years; (iii) to recommend who would be responsible for the repair, re-commissioning and operation of the Pier; and (iv) to report to the October 2005 sitting of Tynwald. Meetings of the Committee 1.2 Your Committee met on eleven occasions, of which two included public hearings. 1.3 At its inaugural meeting held on 28th June 2005 Mr Karran was elected as Chairman. Historical and Current Situation 1.4 The Pier was opened in August 1886, one of three built on the Island in that era, the others located at the bottom of Broadway, Douglas, and at Derby Castle, Douglas, no longer in existence. It is interesting to note that the Queens Pier Ramsey is longer in length than Snaefell is in height and reportedly one of the longest still in existence. 1.5 Your Committee is aware that there have been several reports undertaken since the early 80's by the owners of the Pier (the Department of Transport, formerly the Department of Highways, Ports and Properties) to consider its future. There appears to have been neither the available funding nor the political will to progress restoration. We understand that Manx National Heritage would only show interest in the structure in relation to its heritage integrity and restoration to former state. 1.6 The Pier was closed to public access in 1991 due to deterioration and entered onto the Register of Protected Buildings in 1995> under provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act. There had been open days when the public were permitted access. In evidence Mr Hodgson of the Friends of Queens Pier said, "the last time we had a Day of the Pier was about 2003. We were not allowed on it in 2004 and 2005 but we did actually open as far as the first bay." He said that in 2003 about 1000 people had attended. Stewards had been arranged to ensure that only 50 people at a time were admitted. 2 1.7 Your Committee noted the comments of the Department of Transport in its submission dated 9 August 2005 which stated, in respect of the Current State of the Pier - "The legs of the pier remain in a reasonable structural condition but everything above the pile caps, i.e. the deck and its supporting joists and girders, is severely deteriorated. This is little different to the condition when it was closed to the public in 1991, although the deck has deteriorated further since that time." PART 2 STRATEGY Public Comment 2.1 Your Committee agreed to issue a press notice inviting written suggestions from individuals and organisations for potential use of the Pier and to seek written submissions from the Friends of the Pier, Manx National Heritage and the Department of Transport. Updating the last Report on the Pier. 2.2 Your Committee was aware of several Reports on the Pier. A Report of the Working Party on the Future of the Queens Pier was published in December 1993. A Report was undertaken by the Morton Partnership on behalf of the Department of Transport and presented to Tynwald in October 2001. We were also aware that the Department commissioned a Structural Appraisal Report by BWB Ltd, dated August 2004, which was circulated to Members of Tynwald. We therefore agreed to take account of all Reports. 3 Professional advice. 2.3 A further report was undertaken by Mandall Engineering Ltd on behalf of Friends of the Pier in February 2003. 2.4 Your Committee considered that the authors of the Morton and Mandall Reports could provide an update on those Reports and a balanced professional view, the former having advised the owner and the latter having advised a support group. We agreed to invite each to meet the Committee to provide an overview of their professional opinion and a preliminary report based upon a realistic refurbishment using modern materials. Both preliminary reports are attached at Appendix A 2.5 Given the volume of written evidence, the need to seek professional advice upon a possible refurbishment and the need to take evidence from witnesses, we agreed that it was impractical to report to the October sitting in accordance with the Motion. Consequently the Chairman made a statement to the October 2005 sitting advising that the Committee would not be able to report until its investigations were complete. Oral Evidence 2.6 Your Committee agreed to take evidence in public from Mr A Pass Architect, Mr F Hodgson of the Friends of the Pier and Mr I McCauley, Director of Planning. 4 PART 3 ACTIONS Public Comment 3.1 A press notice was placed in June 2005 inviting suggestions for potential use of the Pier and the Committee also requested the views of the Friends of the Pier, Manx National Heritage and the Department of Transport. This resulted in 28 written submissions. Included in the submission from Friends of the Pier was a list of comments from over 70 members of the public and supporters following an exhibition staged by them. From these submissions we conclude that there is an overall consensus for refurbishment of the Pier. Reasons giving support ranged from establishing the Pier as a public amenity for walking, recreation and activities such as fishing, to reinstating the Pier as a functioning jetty to receiA^e pleasure steamers. Written Evidence 3.2 There were 28 responses to the press notice inviting comments and suggestions for potential use of a refurbished Pier. These responses and other submissions are listed in this Report and are available for inspection in the Tynwald Library. Appendix B 3.3 The overwhelming view was in favour of the restoration of an example of the Victorian age and to preserve the historical value of the Pier for future generations. This may be best summed up with an extract (which refers to other examples of national treasures such as Laxey Wheel, Cregneash and Peel Castle and Castle Rushen) from the submission by the Isle of Man Victorian Society - "Today none of these examples serve the purpose for which they were built yet they all share the same very important purpose - they are all there to show both present and future generations of island residents and visitors alike how we used 5 to live. Their purpose doesn't stop therefor it is only by looking back we can see how far we have come and prepare ourselves properly for the future." Oral Evidence 3.4 Your Committee took evidence in public from the following 27 October 2005 Mr A Pass, Architect Mr F Hodgson, Friends of the Queens Pier 26 January 2006 Mr I McCauley, Director of Planning, DLGE copies of the Hansard record are shown at Appendix C Registered Status 3.5 The Pier was entered onto the Register of Protected Buildings in January 1995 which means that it is recognised by the Department of Local Government and the Environment as being a building of special architectural or historical interest. 3.6 In evidence Mr McCauley, Director of Planning, made it clear that his comments were of a general nature and could not be directed at the issue of the Pier specifically in the absence of any specific proposal concerning the structure placed before his Department.