WEYMOUTH’S Pleasure Pier building is about to be demolished – with some councillors claiming they are being kept in the dark about what will replace it.

The planning committee were told on Wednesday that the existing building, last used as a cafe, will be knocked down by mechanical digger and the area re-surfaced.

Other buildings in the area will be demolished later in the area, with applications expected in March.

Cllr Christine James says councillors should have been given more information and told whether or not it was possible to renovate the building.

She said that councillors have been told it is coming down but not whether the structure could have been saved. She claimed that several people had asked to start businesses on the pier, but had been refused.

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Cllr Ian Bruce said he was unhappy about the decision and the way it had been taken: “I’m not at all happy we’re demolishing that building..none of the councillors in this room seem to know why, although I do know it was not part of the application for the Peninsula site,” he said.

“There have been people who wanted to bring it back into use and we, as councillors, were not told about it.”

Cllr Kate Wheller said she had been told that somebody had suggested putting a similar building to the cafes on Weymouth beach onto the structure.

But despite the claims some councillors were told in December that the pier would have to be demolished above deck level to make it safer and to carry out work to strengthen the structure.

A report to the harbour board at the time said that the works were ‘urgent’ after storms loosened greenheart fenders, especially on the seaward side.

“WPBC need to quickly progress urgent strengthening works on the Pleasure Pier in Weymouth Harbour. This will initially entail demolishing of all the defunct buildings that are located on the original, and much more substantial, 1930’s pier structure. Removal of the building will allow easier and cheaper replacement of the timber piles and fenders in the pier substructure,” said a report to the committee on December 5th.

It had been hoped to start the demolition work at the end of January but it may now begin later this month.

Demolition and other costs have been put at £35,000, money which will be taken from the pier’s reserves account.

The harbour committee report also said that following the demolition a new kiosk will be built on the pier which will be leased out. Work will also be undertaken to apply a better surface to the decking and to reinstate and upgrade the current hand railing to improve its strength and appearance.