Pier Friends Call on MP
Members of Friends of Hastings Pier (FOHP), who campaign for a positive future for the landmark structure, met with MP Helena Dollimore a fortnight ago to discuss their concerns that it is not being maintained properly by owner Sheikh Abid Gulzar. The delegation included engineer Peter Wheeler, former employee of Gulzar’s operating company Lions Hastings Pier Limited (now in liquidation).
FOHP say they showed Ms Dollimore how cross-bracing and support bars in its underside have come loose and how abrasion guards are all crumbling and in need of repair. It is not clear, however, what action the MP will or can muster in response.
Another FOHP delegation showed evidence of decay and damage to the structure to previous MP Sally Ann Hart in February 2023. She was asked to write not only to Gulzar, but also to Hastings Borough Council and/or to the Foreshore Trust requesting they commission an independent structural survey to investigate works needed to preserve the pier for future generations.
Chair of the Council’s Charity Committee at that time was Cllr John Cannan, who responded that the pier was privately owned “and not the responsibility of the Foreshore Trust”. He added that council officers would be asking Gulzar for maintenance records. But, if any were supplied, they’ve never been disclosed in the public domain.
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