£1.8million approved for urgent repairs on Sunderland piers after Storm Babet damage

Plans for “urgent repairs” to storm-damaged piers on Wearside have been given the green light by city leaders.

Sunderland City Council’s cabinet of senior councillors, at a meeting this week, approved a repair programme to help fix damage caused by Storm Babet.

The Old North Pier, New South Pier and Roker Pier all faced a battering during the period of severe weather in October, 2023, with total repairs estimated to cost nearly £2million.

As part of its meeting at City Hall on March 14, 2024, the council’s cabinet examined and approved a £1.8million repair programme for the three piers.

The report to cabinet outlined that Old North Pier had an estimated total repair bill of £300,000, with £200,000 of repairs to its rock armour and £100,000 of concrete repairs to its deck area.

New South Pier has an estimated total repair bill of £1million with £700,000 of repairs to its lower deck and £300,000 to the upper deck, with emergency repairs to coping stones already completed.

Roker Pier also has an estimated total repair bill of £200,000, with £150,000 for replacing granite coping stones and £50,000 for deck area repairs.

As part of the repairs programme, a contingency of £300,000 is also being set aside.

Subject to contractor availability and weather conditions, work on all the piers could begin in coming months.

Councillor Kevin Johnston, Sunderland City Council’s cabinet member for Dynamic City, said the works aimed to “protect city assets and infrastructure”.

Cllr Johnston said: “Our piers are vital parts of our city, they are key structures that help protect infrastructure, businesses and residential properties along our sea, port and riverside frontages.

“The piers also mitigate against silt and sediment deposits in the Port of Sunderland’s navigation channel.

“These repairs will help prevent any further degradation of the piers, protect city assets and infrastructure, and help the day-to-day business and functionality of the port.”

Funding for the piers repair programme will be met by reallocating £1.8million from the Nobles Quay reconstruction works which, council bosses have said, only require £200,000 for immediate and necessary works.

Sunderland City Council has confirmed that remaining Nobles Quay works funds will be met at a later date.

Cllr Johnston added: “Just like a household or a business looks at its finances and decides its priorities, it’s the same with the city council.

“We do often have to make variations to where we might have planned to invest and spend if other priorities arise, and this is what has happened after the Storm Babet damage to the piers”.

A report to cabinet described the programme for the three piers as “urgent repairs”.

It also stated that there were no alternatives to the repair programme and that works were required to “prevent further structural degradation and to protect the functionality of the port and nearby areas”.

The works also aim to protect the Grade II-listed status of Roker Pier and to safeguard Marine Walk beach and properties in the “immediate vicinity”.