Politikal Pokes by lobbytroll
PAINTING THE TOWN GOLD
According to Adam Stephens and Finbarr O’Connell, of Heritage Lottery Fund-appointed administrators Smith & Williamson LLP: “After careful assessment of all offers received for the pier, the successful transfer to Abid Gulzar, the owner of Eastbourne Pier, has allowed a going concern transfer of both the pier and of the business run on the Pier,” adding: “We received a significant number of expressions of interest in this beloved asset, and a number of concrete offers ahead of our deadline of April 12, 2018”.
The revelation that there were a number of other bidders apart from “sheikh” Gulzar, is quite puzzling to this newspaper, because after Friends of Hastings Pier revealed their plans for the pier’s future at a public meeting, we asked Smith & Williamson what Mr. Gulzar’s plans for the pier were. We were told that they could not be revealed on the grounds of “business confidentiality”. Perhaps now that the time for “business confidentiality” is over, the people of Hastings can be privy to the mysterious “significant number of expressions of interest” and the numerous “concrete offers” which were allegedly on the administrators’ table. Don’t hold your breath though.
SWEET CHARITY
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is a charity which disburses public money for ‘good causes’, including the rebuilding of Hastings’ RIBA award-winning pier; yet when it comes to the crunch, it behaves like a corporation. We at Lobbytroll, now that the decision on the pier has been taken, wonder why such an organisation saw fit to allow a structure, initially revitalised by volunteers and financial contributions from the public, (which HLF had placed in administration at a cost to themselves of £500 per hour), to fall into the hands of a private operator whose plans are a secret. While we are at it, when we asked The Foreshore Trust, who effectively own all of the coastal area of Hastings, whether they had considered stepping into the fray, they were unfortunately unable to comment “until the end of June” – just a little too late to influence anything. Unfounded insinuations that collusion between the various interested parties rendered the bidding process farcical, should be quashed immediately and Lobbytroll and this newspaper would wish to be entirely disassociated with any such suggestions.
QUIDS OUT
As big brand retailers like Top Shop and River Island gradually evaporate from the town centre, we were just wondering; which bargain-basement entrepreneurs will ‘pop up’ to replace them? And how ironic will it be if a successful bidder buys Poundland from its administrators for £1?
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