Plans have been approved to create a new extension and viewing platform on Wales’ oldest pleasure pier at Aberystwyth.
Work on the grade II listed Royal Pier, is expected to start after the summer season.
The project is being financed by its owner Revegate Aberystwyth Ltd.
Last year the front façade was redesigned as part of the project and brought into keeping with its Victorian heritage.
Th new extension, which will not alter the length of the pier, will include a balcony area for viewing.
It will provide a new vantage point to view the 50,000 starlings that perform murmurations above and around the pier each year and across the town's promenade.
Powys- based architectural designers and planning consultants, Hughes Architects, submitted the plans on behalf of the pier’s owners.
Its principal architect and managing director Doug Hughes, said “The Royal Pier is not only Wales’ oldest pleasure pier, it is a well-known landmark and tourist attraction and a critical part of Aberystwyth’s built heritage.
“We’ve been working closely with the pier’s owners over recent years to support their efforts to reinvigorate the pier, bringing it back to its Victorian splendour. The entrance design work is part of that, and this latest planning approval will allow the demolition and replacement of an existing store building on the structure.
“In its place a new building will be built, extending the internal area along the pier and providing a balcony area for visitors throughout the year.”
The Royal Pier was opened in 1865. Designed and built by Eugenius Birch, who was also responsible for Brighton and Margate piers, the 800 foot long structure was the first pleasure pier to be built in Wales.
It had to be rebuilt a year after it opened following storms and was again structurally damaged in the 1930s.
Hughes Architects building design team have undertaken in-depth research into the pier’s architectural history, ensuring all plans meet requirements set out for listed building consent and that of CADW.
Ceredigion County Council’s planning department approved the latest plans in June.
