Brighton Pier admission fee introduced: Everything you need to know

Brighton Palace Pier announced today (Wednesday, May 8) that the new fee will come into effect during peak trading periods in the summer beginning on May 25, and then cover the weekends during June and the full months of July and August.

"Today we announce the introduction of a £1 admission fee to enter the pier,” a social media statement read.

"The admission fee will not apply to local residents (who have a Brighton Palace Pier local residents card) or children under the age of two.

“All residents who have a Brighton Palace Pier local residents card will continue to be admitted for free. To apply for a card, those who live in a BN postcode area will need to visit the Brighton Palace Pier website and follow the instructions in this link.”

The decision to charge people to enter the pier – for the first time in 125 years – has been met with anger on social media.

One person wrote: “Is there anything that’s just free now in Brighton? Soon people will have to pay to sit on the beach at this rate.”

Another added: “Very short sighted. I wouldn’t pay to do that in a million years – it’s a total con.”

In an extended statement on its website, the Brighton Pier Group (BPG) said the costs of supporting the structure have risen substantially. This year marks the pier’s 125th anniversary.

A spokesperson said: “In the last five years alone, the cost of maintaining, repairing and operating Brighton Palace Pier has increased 31 per cent, an additional £2.7 million, taking the overall annual cost to £11.6 million.

“The admission fee will be critical in helping to meet the unique challenges and costs of preserving the pier’s structural integrity and fabric as well as continuing to remain open all year-round.”

Another Facebook user raised concern that the move is ‘not good for people who just want a walk up and down’ the pier.

Anne Ackord, CEO of Brighton Palace Pier, issued a statement to explain the new admission fee.

She said: “We see ourselves as the custodians of the pier. Many of our team, including myself live and work in Brighton and we understand first-hand the importance of the pier within our city.

"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.”