PLANS to revamp Mumbles Pier and build a new lifeboat station are expected to be approved this week.

An application to strip the pier down to its cast iron pillars and replace the substructure and wooden decking has been recommended for the green light by planning officers.

The scheme would also see a new RNLI boathouse built on the end of the Victorian structure to house the latest all-weather Tamar class craft.

Councillors are to meet on Thursday to vote on the plans, with a recommendation that they give them the go-ahead.

The planning report before members concludes that the application, "secures the comprehensive refurbishment of a vulnerable listed building, the pier, which is at risk as a result of its age and deteriorating condition, in a way which respects and is sensitive to its architectural and historic qualities and significance".

If the application is approved, work is due to begin in the spring of 2012.

However, the project is inextricably linked to a second planning application for a major £39 million development around the base of the pier and on Mumbles headland.

Plans by the pier and land owner Ameco to build flats, shops, restaurants, and a hotel on the headland are due to be considered by councillors within weeks — with cash from the controversial development needed to fund the cost of the pier restoration.

The pier scheme itself is a joint project with Ameco and the RNLI.

The pier would be rebuilt on its original pillars with many of its Victorian features such as ornate panels retained.

The new lifeboat station would be build on the footprint of the pier head but on its own supporting pillars, and would replace the existing station which stands to one side of the pier.

New platforms for anglers would also be built, and action taken to accommodate the Kittiwakes which nest on the pier.

The proposed boathouse would be the new home of the RNLI's latest Tamar class ship, which is bigger and more powerful than its predecessor.

The preferred option for the life- saving service is a "fast afloat boat" which operates from a harbour, as does the one in Barry.

However, the RNLI has concluded that neither Swansea nor Port Talbot docks are suitable for this kind of launch — the tide, lock gates and shipping in Swansea would restrict launch times and add around 10 minutes to emergency calls outside Swansea Bay, while the entrance to Port Talbot harbour faces the prevailing wind making it difficult to negotiate in bad weather

The second-best option is a "fast slipway boat" which requires a boathouse to house it, and from which it can be launched.

The planning report says that together the refurbished pier and boathouse would be a "significant new tourist attraction".

The existing lifeboat station cannot be demolished as it is part of a listed structure, but alternative uses being looked at include a visitor centre and a landing station for pleasure craft.

Councillors had also been due to rule on the headland development on Thursday, but that decision has now been delayed.

The hotel and flats project has attracted criticism for being too large, and for potentially destroying the character of the area.

jason.evans@swwmedia.co.uk