Running a humungous pier complete with rollercoasters, arcades and fragrant fish ’n’ chip stands ain’t cheap. And yet, across its whole 125 year existence, visitors to Brighton Palace Pier have been able to enter it free of charge.
Until now. This week, Brighton Palace Pier announced that this summer visitors will have to part with £1 if they want to walk along the structure. The new admission fee will be in place from May 25, covering weekends during June and the full months of July and August.
The charge doesn’t apply to locals though, as long as they have a Brighton Palace Pier residents card (you can apply for one of those here). It also excludes kids under two years of age.
The announcement comes as the annual cost of maintaining, repairing and operating the landmark has increased by 31 percent over the past five years and now sits at a whopping £11.6 million.
Anne Ackord, CEO of Brighton Pier, told BBC Radio Sussex: ‘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 be an important contributor to ensuring that our iconic Pier is with us for generations to come.’
All things Brighton
Whether you’re put off by the new fee or unfazed, remember – there’s so much more to Brighton than its pier. Want proof? Just scroll through our round up of the 25 best things to do there, the best fish and chip shops, the best bars and the best places for a little retail therapy.
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