Seaside piers are a familiar sight in many of the major coastal holiday resorts of England, Wales and the Isle of Man. At the turn of the century there were about 100 piers around the coast. By the year 2000 this figure is likely to have been halved. It is crucial that the remaining structures survive to enliven the resorts they serve and as a monument to the entrepreneurs and engineers of earlier times. David Bateman
How do we, as engineers, help tackle some of the threats to our environment by promoting the concept of Sustainable Development? I’m not a ‘green’ campaigner. I’m not a member of Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth. But I do take notice of what is happening in the world around me. Like most of us I watch television, read newspapers, listen to correspondents’ reports etc, and recognise a steady build up of concern about the state of our environment and the future prospects for mankind. Tony Davies
The Prospect Room at Wollaton Hall is famous for the panoramic views it offers of the Nottinghamshire countryside. It has been closed since 1958, when the floorboards were removed and three steel trusses added across the room to provide essential support to the oak joists and ceiling. This paper describes a proposal to strengthen the joists within their own depth to permit the floor to be relaid and the room reopened to the public as part of the museum housed within this grade 1 listed building. C.K. Jolly and K.J. Brown
CO2 emissions and afforestation Mr R. Sims has written from Manchester regarding previous correspon,dence (l6 February and 4 May 1999): While not claiming to be an expert on this fascinating subject, I think that tree planting as a method of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, laudable and useful as this may be, is probably not the answer.