Margaret Hodge, Government Minister for Culture & Tourism, visited the Pier Trust on Monday with Michael Foster MP for Hastings to discuss strategies for compulsory purchase of the pier with a back-to-back agreement to handover the Pier to the Trust. Starting the compulsory purchase process would allow the Trust to make progress with external funding bids – at the moment without ‘prospect of ownership’ funders can’t look at the Trust’s plans. She has already told Hastings Borough Council that the Government sees no barrier to the Council undertaking Compulsory Purchase and she plans to write to them to encourage a more integrated approach to the seafront
