The planned reopening of the Viking Bay seafront lift tomorrow (July 17) has been delayed.
It was announced in April that surveys would be carried out on Viking Bay and the Eastcliff lifts with a view to bringing them back into operation following an outcry when ‘permanently shut’ notices were placed on both lifts at the start of that month.
A public outcry followed, including the launching of a petition by resident Barry Stickings, saying the decision should be reversed and the lifts repaired.
Mr Stickings, whose son is blind, said closing the lifts was denying inclusiveness for many people.
A reopening date of June 21 was initially mooted for Viking Bay but this was then set back to July.
Tomorrow’s opening has now also been set back.
A post from Thanet council says: “This afternoon, our lift repair contractors ran some very final checks ahead of the planned reopening tomorrow. We are very sorry to announce that during the final inspection our contractors encountered an issue with the doors that requires further checks to be carried out.
“As a result we are going to have to delay the long awaited reopening, until they are satisfied that it is safe to do so. We hope that issue will be resolved and we will be able to get the lift open again as soon as possible. However it will not be open this weekend.
There is a needed minimum spend of £17.4k just to get the lift running for the summer season. This money has been allocated from TDC’s Brexit Readiness pot. A further £1,700 is in the budget for servicing.
A previous report to council said consideration should be given to upgrading the lift at an estimated cost of £45,000.
The Ramsgate Edwardian Lift is unlikely to be opened at all this year due to damage following the theft of lead from the roof and a need to replace and repair the first floor entrance.
