Consultants have been appointed by the city council to carry out a feasibility study into the rebuilding of Herne Bay pier. PMP Consultants, a specialist leisure consultancy firm, have been selected from the three high quality tenders the city council received. The council will be meeting with the company next week to discuss the study in detail and agree its timescale.
It is hoped phase one of the study, which will investigate options for the new pier and assess the economic viability of the project, will be completed by the spring. If this initial report proves positive, further work will need to be carried out by the consultant to draw up a scheme in more detail, set out the likely impact and benefits for the town and establish a full business case for private investment. City council joint executive member for leisure, Cllr Roger Matthews, said:
"We're pleased to have chosen the consultants for this study. All three bids were of a high standard and the council now looks forward to working with PMP Consultants to establish whether the rebuilding of Herne Bay pier is a viable project."
PMP will work on the study alongside Marks Barfield Architects, who were the company behind the design of the London Eye and received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for that project in April 2003. Canterbury City Council, Kent County Council and Tourism South East are jointly funding the first phase of the study.
CCC website 3rd Feb 2004