At the Cabinet Meeting held on 1st February 2010, Hastings Borough Council voted to support an approval in principle to lay out in detail all the conditions that, if they are met will enable the Council to make and seal a CPO and to continue assisting HPWRT in drawing down public funding to produce fuller business plans and technical appraisals that might support their future restoration and use of the Pier
The full meeting transcript can be found on the Hastings Borough Council website here
Stephen Kearney from the Regenerate Trust Introduces the Attendees
The Signed Pier Pledge
The Battle for Hastings Pier Video
The Pier PledgeHastings Pier & White Rock Trust invited the candidates from the 3 main political parties represented in the St Helens By-Election to attend an open meeting to present our plans for the Pier, discuss, and seek their support in signing the Pier Pledge to compulsorily purchase the pier for handover to the Trust as soon as possible.
Read the Press Release here (pdf format)
All candidates signed the pledge, joining all the other political candidates for the St Helens By-election in their agreement to support the approval to compulsorily purchase the Pier.
View other images of the meeting here
Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust have just learned of the withdrawal of a previously awarded £4000 Campaign grant as a result of the Minister for Third Sector’s decision to reallocate funds that had already been promised to small community/voluntary groups elsewhere. This is a bitter blow to our campaigning funds. We are currently appealing the decision.
Read the articles printed 23 November in Regeneration & Renewal here. Sign the Petition to appeal the decision here.
Hastings Borough Council released a Press Release confirming the end of Private Investor interest in the Pier. Read press release here. We respond:
“We have always said that expecting a private sector solution was like waiting for a fairy godmother …. Our approach is very different …. we don’t need to make a profit for shareholders…. We hope, at last, the Council will engage properly with the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust – it really is the only solution left.”
Read the full Pier Trust’s response to today’s Hastings Borough Council Press Release.
The Pier Trust also spoke with BBC South East News who reported the Press Release.
Listen to the BBC Radio Sussex Interview using controls below.
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We’ve had a few gremlins in the works, so if you have recently signed up for the newsletter, it would be useful if you could sign up again, to make sure your email info got through, thanks!
Well done! A fabulous turn-out to the march on 17th October – great sunshine, great atmosphere, 2,000 people with yellow & black flags telling the council to stop dithering and start the Compulsory Purchase – take the pier from the private owners who have left it to rot and hand it over the community trust who can make it work.
We really made ourselves clear but this is just the beginning of the campaign…
Next step – we’re going to table an emergency motion to the next meeting of the Council so that they can agree to start the CPO and we can get on with applying for the money. We’ll need you all to come out and stand together again to make sure there’s no dilly-dallying! Watch this space for more info – or look on www.hpwrt.co.uk
IT’S YOUR CHOICE
4 million of local money to DEMOLISH
or 4 million of national grant money to REPAIR.
Our plans involve not just the Trust but the people of Hastings and White Rock working together towards a future pier we can all be proud of. The whole community is affected by the pier so please let’s all work together.
Sat 17th October
Battle For Hastings Pier – March
We will all be meeting at the pier gates at 12pm, for a mustering .
We need a huge showing of support here please let everyone you know about the march, we need to tell the council how we feel about them ignoring this iconic building, it will only work if hundreds of you show up!
So let’s surprise them! and get Thousands!
You can have fun making some banners and plaques for the march? If enough of you take part in this I’ll offer a prize for the best.
We will then all proceed to the Town Hall, via the underground subway, to hand in a signed request for the council to start a compulsory purchase order on the pier. We are hoping a member of the council will take the request from us and say a few words.
Bring your passion, it will have media coverage.
Arthur Greens – The Pier Information Centre & Shop
We have recently taken over a seafront shop known as Arthur Greens to use as our interim Pier Information Centre and Shop. The shop, located opposite the old Ice Rink building at 34 White Rock, was originally an 1870’s mens tailors and still contains many of the fixtures and fittings of that time. Vacant for over 3 years, the Trust are looking to use the enthusiasm of their volunteers and various grant funding to breathe new life into the shop and create a new place of interest within this unloved area of Hastings.
The shop will be a visible base for the Trust to engage with the public in regards to all of the plans and proposals for the pier and will include a display all about the work of the Trust, its proposals for the pier, and all the latest news. In addition, we are currently creating a history display to detail the history of the Pier and White Rock area and the Pier Architect, Eugenius Birch. We are also planning a schedule of events to be held regularly at weekends to provide entertainment to visitors to the shop.
If you have yet to become a member of HPWRT, membership information will be available. You will also be able to pick up a fund-raising souvenir or an artistic piece made by a local artisan.
We are looking to formally launch Arthur Green’s at Easter 2010, but will hold small publicity events in the meantime (such as our recent Swap Days).
We look forward to seeing you soon!