[1] As a result, the Penarth Promenade and Landing Company Ltd was formed, to make a second attempt at building a permanent pier.

[4] The pier was opened in 1898, having been constructed by James & Arthur Mayoh, assisted by Herbert Francis Edwards, a local engineer.

The pier, at 658 ft (200 m), was rather short; it was not permitted to be longer for fear of obstructing the deep water channel into Cardiff Docks.

It was built of cast iron with a timber decking, and acted both as a promenade, and as a landing jetty for steam ships trading in the Bristol Channel.

[2] In 1947 the 7,130 ton Canadian cargo steamship SS Port Royal Park, under contract to the flag of the Tavistock Shipping Company, collided with the pier in a gale causing severe structural damage.

[8] The damage included the shattering and buckling of the decking, but more seriously, the fracturing or displacing of over seventy of the main supporting cast-iron structures.

[2] In August 1966, whilst operating in dense fog,[2] the 600-ton P & A Campbell pleasure steamer PS Bristol Queen hit the pier, causing an estimated £25,000 damage.

[2] The 1929 designed art deco Pier Pavilion, opened in 1930 by the council, was used as a venue for traditional seaside entertainment, as well as a concert hall.

PACL have now developed a £3.9m refurbishment scheme, to use enable the pavilion to be restored as a cinema, cafe, observatory and multi-purpose community complex.

The Penarth Pier Pavilion includes an art gallery, auditorium, a cinema able to seat seventy, retail area, bar, and a tea room with a view out over the Bristol Channel.

Dr David Trotman, was appointed director in 2013 and said that he was excited and privileged to serve the community, and added that the "iconic pier site would be used to educate, inform and entertain."

Since then, renovation of the exterior has taken place, and ornamental zinc tiles have been installed to replace the faded paint on the barrel roof and four domes.