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Friday, 3rd September 2010

Save Our Pier: Sign the Observer's online petition now

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Published Date:
17 August 2009
To sign our petition click HERE
The Observer is urging Hastings Borough Council to act over the continued closure of Hastings Pier.

The town is now in its third summer without a pier after council officials closed the Victorian structure over health and safety concerns.

Since then the once bustling attraction has lay shut amid lengthy legal ranglings and years on inactivity on the part of the owners, the off-shore firm Ravenclaw Investments.

Earlier this year the local authority's tourist manager estimated the closure could have cost the town somewhere in the region of 750,000 visitors and more than £9million.

This is something a town like Hastings simply cannot cope with.

Therefore, The Observer is urging the council to commit to moving things forward and returning the pier to the people of Hastings.

Our simple plan is:

- For the council to start procedure to compulsory purchase the pier from Ravenclaw, allowing the trust to begin attracting funding.

- The, once this funding is in place, complete the CPO and then hand the ownership over to the Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust.

- And for the council to begin working more closely with the trust to help it get its plans up and running.

We are encouraging every Hastings resident - or indeed, anyone who has ever visited the pier, to join our campaign by sign our online petition.

To sign our petition click HERE

What do you think of the idea? Should the council be doing more? What would you like to see happen to the pier? Leave your comments here.

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  • Last Updated: 18 August 2009 9:34 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Hastings
 
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1

anne 99,

Hastings 19/08/2009 09:58:24
Well done the Observer.
Its about time this council did something instead of waiting for a Fairy godmother to come along. Get real HBC let the trust have it. its No cost to the town as they can get grants and funding the fairy godmother can't.
2

loreli,

St. leonards on sea 01/09/2009 14:38:49
I find it incredible that our local council can just sit there and ignore the pier! Why aren't they helping the Hastings Pier Trust?
We could have a thriving pier bring loads of jobs and tourists...HBC have no vision.
3

johnnyh2 ,

Hastings 01/09/2009 15:03:39
Good work Observer - we need to put more pressure on Hastings Borough Council. They seem content to let the pier fall into the sea.
They don't even seem to care about how badly it reflects on the town - The National Piers Society's "at risk" list, which ranks the piers according to their heritage value, puts Hastings at the top of the endangered list - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8230410.stm
4

Angela StL,

St Leonards on Sea 01/09/2009 17:05:12
It's a shame that the Council can't look at preserving the town's existing historical infrastructure instead of concentrating its efforts on white elephant projects. This Council is only interested in the Old Town - the rest of the town might as well not exist. Seaside piers are part of the British seaside culture, and as such should be preserved for future generations.
5

BigLug,

Hastings 02/09/2009 06:49:05
Great to see the Observer getting on board with this issue. The council must help sort this out. What do they exist in this town for otherwise?
6

Alze,

03/09/2009 10:40:07
I really hope this has some positive impact. I think the next nominee for MP for Hastings at election time must make the restoration of the Pier as seriously as employment in town, it will have a huge knock-on effect.
7

Cabaals,

03/09/2009 14:36:14
It seems to me we need elected officers in charge of council departments rather than the current bunch or the elected council members to have more influence & control over what the "officers" do.

If we don't get that, then the pier and everthing else for that matter, the town, the shops, lifts, the bathing pool, etc, etc will continue its rapid decline !!!
8

Carole,

HASTINGS 10/09/2009 08:19:39
The Observer should have been more pro-active from the outset! One of the reasons that the HPWRT has been so frustrated is that they are battling HB Council's inertia at making any type of decision. Ravenclaw were asset-strippers, yet over and over again HBC's response has been to write a strongly worded letter! Impose a deadline for fine-payment upon Ravenclaw. Bankrupt them with injunctions and the full weight of legal restraints. Then find a new management team and use the regeneration money(currently being mismanaged by SEEDA) to renovate what tourists (and residents) WANT - as opposed to white elephants and "external consultancy team" fantasies! Simplez!
9

Gerry54,

Winchelsea Beach 24/10/2009 08:53:18
So where is the coverage of last weeks Save the pier march ? If the observer supports the campaign why was it not front cover news?
10

domi610,

belgium 19/01/2010 15:59:34
I hope I can see the pier on my next stay in HAstings which is a wonderful city
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