Working closely with the CEO, the Administrator will support the implementation of our strategic plan to ensure that the full grant is secured and to lay the essential foundations – the people and the structures – that will help us redevelop the pier as part of the wider rebirth of a vibrant and viable Hastings.
Owners of the iconic Hastings Pier will have to start work or face losing it after the council kick started more legal proceedings this week.
A Repairs Notice was tied to the pier gates on Tuesday and notices sent to Ravenclaw, calling on them to start work on preserving the structure or hand over the keys to Hastings Borough Council.
Councillor Peter Chowney, lead member for Regeneration, said: “This is the sort of New Year message the owners deserve. They have made no effort whatsoever to repair the pier and now they risk forfeiting it altogether. This is their last chance. The notice effectively means that unless work starts within two months then we will carry out a Compulsory Purchase Order and hand the pier over to the Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust (HPWRT). It’s taken a long time to get to this point but thanks to the commitment of Hastings Borough Council and the HPWRT, I am confident that we will soon see our pier renewed and restored.”
The Grade II-listed building was almost destroyed by fire in October, 2010 and faced an uncertain future. Councillors agreed to follow the route of a Compulsory Purchase Order while the HPWRT secured funding of £357, 400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to get a business plan in place.
Simon Opie, Chief Executive of the HPWRT, said: “The serving of this Repairs Notice and the agreement now in place with the HPWRT signal that the council intends to ensure proper steps are taken to restore the pier. This is a huge boost to the town and a great reward for the efforts of the trustees and everyone who has supported them. It is a Christmas present that they all thoroughly deserve for their courage and determination”
A new dawn has arrived for Hastings beleaguered pier a year on from the devastating fire which ravaged the Victorian icon and robbed the town of its landmark building.
Read More at the hastingsobserver.co.uk website…
On 15th May 2011, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced it has given the green light to support the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust (HPWRT) in their bid to save Hastings Pier, East Sussex.
Download the press release here
Development funding of £357,400 has been awarded by HLF to enable the Trust to move to the next stage of its plans before a final decision is made on a full HLF grant of £8.75m.
Read More….
Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust need your help, please come and visit and shop in our Pier Information Centre and Shop at Arthur Green on Thursdays to Mondays 10am to 5pm and join our membership programme, or find out how you can adopt a plank.
Click here to read more, and to find out about volunteering…
