CMG's just expressed an opinion and a valid one at that , just like yours is Dave but when you are dealing with someone hell bent on making as much money as Waldron wants to do, then anything can happen.
He's exploiting an opportunity caused by the inactivity of CCBC to do anything positive to resolve the situation when the fire first happened.
If Adam Williams sticks to his guns then the proposed development can have no access to the Pier and should be a dead duck.
However, will he do that? They say that everyone has their price so perhaps at the moment the price is not high enough?
That's just speculation on my part, but experience has told me not to trust developers.