Brighton Palace Pier introduces admission fee for first time in 125 years

Brighton Palace Pier is to introduce a tourist admission fee for the first time in its 125-year history.

The £1 charge is set to come into force on May 25 following a surge in the cost of running the Grade II listed East Sussex attraction.

It comes as the expenses associated with maintaining, repairing and operating the 1,722ft pier have almost tripled, according to its owners.

Anne Ackord, the chief executive, said: “The admission fee will be an important contributor to ensuring that our iconic pier is with us for generations to come.”

She said the costs of operating the pier had risen by £2.7 million in the past five years, taking the annual expense to £11.6 million.

The admission fee will be crucial to preserving the pier’s structural integrity and allowing it to remain open throughout the year, the Brighton Pier Group, which runs Brighton Palace Pier, said.

It will be enforced at peak trading periods in the summer, commencing on May 25 and continuing over the weekends of June, July and August.

Ms Ackord said the pier does not receive any form of financial grants, telling BBC Radio Sussex, she said: “I’ve been associated with the pier for 20 years, and in that time absolutely nothing.

“The pier is a substantial structure, and in recent years the costs associated with maintaining and operating it to the same high levels of upkeep, strength and structural integrity have increased significantly.

“We have, to date, been able to offset and absorb these costs, but we have now reached the point where, in our view, it is sensible to implement a small admission charge for visitors to the pier from outside the local area.”

The admission fee will not apply to Brighton residents who have a Brighton Palace Pier local residents’ card.

Construction of the pier began in 1888, but in 1896 a storm washed away the old Chain Pier, causing damage to the partially-built structure, which finally opened in May 1899.

Its theatre featured acts such as Stan Laurel, who went on to become one half of Laurel and Hardy, as well as Charlie Chaplin at the start of his career.