Pier master’s house holiday let plan to save Garth Pier in Bangor

Campaigners trying to save one of Wales’ best-known piers want to turn its master’s house in a holiday rental, with profits going towards repairs and safeguarding.

The Friends of Bangor Garth Pier (FBGP) in Bangor, Gwynedd, launched a £40,000 appeal in August to complete essential work on the Grade II listed structure.

FBGP has now applied to Gwynedd council to make the dwelling at the start of the pier into a short-term holiday let.

The property has been deemed unsuitable for permanent residence due to its proximity to regular pier events and lack of garden or designated parking.

But the group says the funding plan could also boost tourism and offer a unique accomodation option for visitors.

Built in 1896 with a length of 1,500ft (457m), Garth Pier is the second longest pier in Wales, boasting views across the Menai Strait, Anglesey, Llandudno and the mountains of Eryri, also known as Snowdonia.

Having faced threats of demolition over the years, it is owned and maintained by Bangor City Council, which bought the pier for 1p in 1975.

It is considered to be a Victorian era gem of architectural and historical significance.

A £1m restoration programme on parts of the structure was completed in 2022.

The holiday let proposal states it is part of a long-term plan to redevelop the pier area to attract more visitors.

A report from agents Cadnant Planning outlined FBGP trustees’ desire to lease the property from Bangor council.

It would then be used as a short-term holiday let to generate income to be “fed directly back to the pier, to help with the maintenance and running costs”.

FBGP said in October it had achieved its £40,000 funding goal to do essential work on the pier’s substructure to “make it safe and protect it for generations to come”.

The house was historically tied to pier operations, with the pier master in charge of day-to-day maintenance.

The planning application said the pier house was never occupied as an open market dwelling, adding that, when the pier master retired in 2022, he and his partner vacated it.

“It has never been occupied independently by an individual/family who is not tied to the pier.

“The dwelling is no longer required as a manager’s dwelling for the running of the pier.”

The property also has no garden area and no private parking.

“It isn’t considered suitable to provide a general residential dwelling for a family,” the plans state, due to its “location, size and design renders”.

FBGP would run the three bedroom let and believe it would “encourage spin-off spending within the local economy, which in turn supports a community where the Welsh language can thrive”.

A consultation on the plans ends on 8 December.