The restoration of Cromer Pier has been honoured with a top award.
The National Piers Society has given a Peter Mason award for engineering excellence to the firm HOP Consulting for its work on the Grade II-listed landmark, which has cost around £1m.
David Spooner of the pier society said that although there were five submissions for the award, the judges’ decision was unanimous.
READ MORE: The £1 million project to shore up Cromer Pier
Mr Spooner said: “The Cromer Pier project is a great example of a major refurbishment in difficult circumstances.
"The work had many design and installation challenges not least of which was the requirement for the pier to remain open throughout and for proper consideration to be given to sustainability and environmental issues.”
The works focused on the pier's seabed piles and their supporting steel structures, as well as the timber decking.
Many of the steel works between the theatre and the 'head area deck' of the pier had to be repaired or replaced.
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North Norfolk District Council owns the pier, which is home to the Pavilion Theatre, an RNLI station and the Tides Bistro.
Councillor Lucy Shires, the council’s portfolio holder for finance, estates and property services, said she was delighted with the award.
She said: “The pier requires significant technical work to maintain it as the facility we all love - we are pleased that it can be enjoyed by residents and visitors in the future.”
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Tristan Banks, director of the Hove-based engineering firm HOP, said: “We have worked on Cromer Pier for over two decades and the whole team, including the council and contractors, are a great bunch of people to work with.
“This was a really successful project and helped to maintain and refurbish several parts of the pier.”
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