For the last nine months, we’ve been delighted to have had Rochester Pier open to the public again while our volunteers work on restoring and refreshing it, but unfortunately, an important safety inspection now requires us to close the pier for some weeks.
As with any historical structure, it’s crucial to monitor the condition of the Pier, and of course public safety is always the highest priority, so please bear with us while our partners at Medway Council carry out the necessary inspection and any remedial work that might be required.
Restoration Work
During this period, we’ll be unable to continue pier restoration work at our regular volunteer sessions - it's unfortunate, especially as we were just getting started on new paintwork which, as you can see from the photo, really makes a big impact.
But obviously, structural issues take precedence over aesthetic ones, and we're grateful to the council for their assurances that they'll be working at pace to get the essential work done as quickly as is practical.
In the Meantime...
There’s always something that needs volunteer attention in our green spaces, and we’ve decided to start making inroads into our next big horticulture project: Hedgerows! It's been on our agenda for a while, and we're really excited about it, so having this to focus on while we wait for the pier to reopen helps soften the blow somewhat. You can find out more by checking out the Hedgerows Project home page, which will be gaining a few more articles over the coming weeks as we move forward with planning. You could also come along to our next volunteer session, when we'll be taking a close look at our hedges, giving them a bit of TLC, and thinking about what they need to flourish in the future.
If you have any questions or comments about Rochester Pier or our Hedgerows Project, just get in touch!