Landmark hardwood decking project starts at Hastings Pier

22 March 2014


A new timber decking structure is taking shape on 140-year-old Hastings Pier, which is undergoing a £14m restoration thanks to Heritage Lottery funding.

Contracts for the FSC-certified azobé deck boards and joists are worth a total of about £600,000.

Illingworth Ingham is supplying 200m3 of azobé deck joists to contractor FPE Global Holdings, which is completing the structural steelwork to form the main structure up to the pier head. Dutch hardwood supplier Wijma imported the timber from Africa and supplied Illingworth Ingham.

Pier construction site manager David Spooner told TTJ that Ecochoice Ltd is supplying 75,000 linear metres of 145x35mm azobé deck boards direct to the Hastings Pier Charity in a contract valued at about £350,000.

The deck installation work, being undertaken by Bexhill-based TimberCraftUK, will take about 12 months to complete.

Mr Spooner said the deck structure was being built gradually from the pier entrance out to the damaged pier head to give demolition contractors access to the old ballroom, gutted in a fire in 2010.

"We've been taking up the old deck, which is about 50-100 years old and some of it is in excellent condition," said Mr Spooner.

"It's a great advert for marine hardwood. We will use as much of it as we can to make furniture for the pier."

Jarrah, purpleheart, greenheart and balau are species identified among the old timbers.

A cross-laminated timber structure supplied by KLH UK will be built on the pier to house a multi-function visitor centre in a contract thought to be worth £500,000-1m.

Hastings Pier has been closed since the serious fire. It will reopen in the spring next year.

The new hardwood decking structure is being installed at Hastings Pier