Hastings pier sold to same businessman who bought Eastbourne Pier

Hastings Pier has been sold to Eastbourne Pier owner Sheikh Abid Gulzar, inspite of a local campaign to keep it in the community.

The grade II listed  Hastings Pier  was originally opened in 1872, and was rebuilt following a devastating fire in 2010. Local group Hastings Pier Charity had been fundraising with the hope to buy the pier themselves after it went into administration last year. They are ‘ very sad and disappointed at the decision.’

image: www.digital-memory.hastingspier.org.uk

The Pier won the RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture just last year (2017) following the renovations, as well as the prestigeous Pier of the Year award.

From The Heritage Lottery Fund:

“We have been fully committed to a community-owned Hastings Pier – that is what we originally funded and we have done everything we can to help make it a success.  Sadly Hastings Pier Charity wasn’t able to make the pier profitable and took the decision to enter administration.

Thanks to a substantial investment of National Lottery Funding, Hastings now has a hugely popular, Stirling Prize-winning pier.  The administrators advise that significant cash for working capital and investment purposes, amounting to over a million pounds, is now required to make the pier sustainable.

Our priority – and that of the administrators – is to see the pier protected and continuing to make a significant contribution to the town’s community, prosperity and culture.  We believe today’s decision by the administrator is the best way of achieving this.

We applaud the local community and their tireless commitment to the pier. We hope that all parties can now work together to ensure the pier has a bright future.”

Council’s bittersweet reaction to Hastings pier sale:

Hastings Borough Council is obviously pleased that the town’s pier has a long term future, but has expressed concerns about the sale process.
Council spokesperson Kevin Boorman explained :- “We are very pleased that our pier, one of the town’s most popular attractions, has had so much interest, and that it has been sold as a going concern.

“We cannot comment on the new owner’s plans, as he has not yet shared them with us. We do hope that we are able to meet him very soon.

“We did meet some of the other bidders, and their plans were exciting; we are disappointed that they weren’t given the time they asked for to develop them, as they could have had a major transformational effect on the town.

“We know that a lot of people, paid staff and many volunteers, have worked very hard indeed over the past few years to secure a long term future for the pier, and we would like to pay tribute to them. If it hadn’t been for their efforts, the pier would not have been saved. We are very grateful indeed for all that they have done.”

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