Crumbling Hawes structure set for £1.6m repair work

The west side of the historic Hawes Pier at South Queensferry was closed last year after an underwater inspection discovered an "extensive" number of holes.

Now, after years of false starts, work to repair the ageing structure is finally under way.

Currently used by BP, Balfour Beatty, the RNLI and cruise ships such as the Maid of the Forth and the Forth Belle, Hawes Pier stands opposite the 400-year-old Hawes Inn, where Robert Louis Stevenson was famously inspired to write Kidnapped while staying there in 1886.

Repair work had been due to start in 2008 after a previous investigation warned the pier was in "very poor" condition and might have to be closed if bad weather damaged it further.

But despite 1m being allocated for the job, the work was postponed after tenders came in at 25 per cent over the price due to the difficulties of carrying out the work in the winter.

David Steel, tourism convener of the Queensferry and District Community Council, said the improvements were long overdue.

He said: "It's been a long time coming, but it's great to see the work is finally being done.

"This is something they have been talking about for quite some time."

Queensferry's harbour dates back more than 300 years, with the current walls believed to have been built in 1817. An investigation carried out in 2006 found cracks in the stonework, and some parts had begun to subside.

Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Edinburgh's transport leader, said: "I am pleased that we have a programme in place that allows the pier to remain in use over the busy summer months while we carry out these much-needed works."

Councillor Norman Work, vice-chair of the pier users' committee, said: "This pier is very important for all that use it, not just the cruise liners, but also BP and the company carrying out repairs on the Forth Bridge.

"Like an awful lot of things, the money is not always there, but were are, at last, getting it done and it's important that it's fixed."