Finley completes work on iconic pier (From The Northern Echo)

Finley completes work on iconic pier

9:58am Tuesday 7th February 2012 in North-East Business News By Andy Richardson

A NEW pier, which will dominate the skyline of a North-East seaside resort, is the latest landmark contract completed by a family steel firm.

Finley Structures, base in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, has installed the framework for the 80ft tall vertical pier, due to open later this year, as part of Redcar and Cleveland Councils multi-million pound redevelopment programme.

Finley played a key role in the building of Nifcos new car parts factory at Eaglescliffe, near Stockton - the largest manufacturing facility built in the Tees Valley in almost two decades - which is set to open later this month. It has also supplied steel to major building projects including, Sunderland Software Centre, Nissan's battery plant and NETPark in Sedgefield.

The 1.8m pier will form the centrepiece of a 30m regeneration project on the sea front that also includes improved sea defences.

Construction firm Willmot Dixon Group sub-contracted the steel fabrication and installation work to Finley, which recently completed the job.

Andy Braid, construction manager for the Aycliffe company, said: "Its a pleasure to be working on an exciting project which will have such an obvious impact on Redcar seafront.

"Its also further testament to our versatility and the diverse range of projects were capable of delivering to high standards.

"The artists drawings of the vertical pier look absolutely stunning and it promises to provide the focal point of what is a major regeneration programme in the town."

The ground floor of the pier will be used primarily as cafe space with indoor and outdoor seating areas. This will also be used as an exhibition space. A series of studios and workspaces that can be leased by the creative industries sector will be on the six levels above the ground floor.

Each level of the pier will be accessible by lift or stairs and open to the public free of charge.

At roof level, with its open air viewing platform, there will be a panoramic view across the surrounding landscape.

The building will be open seven days a week between 9am and 10pm during peak season and there are plans to host a regularly changing programme of exhibitions within the building.

The project is part funded by the NE ERDF competitiveness programme 2007-13.