THE leader of Hastings Borough Council has hit out at the sale of Hastings Pier to businessman Sheikh Abid Gulzar.

Peter Chowney says he is 'disappointed and rather angry at the administrator's decision to give the pier to Abid Gulzar, the owner of Eastbourne Pier.'

But he says this anger is more about the process.

This is his Facebook post:

"The council had no formal way of influencing this decision, but did try to persuade the administrator to allow more time to other bidders - there were at least two other bids that needed more time to raise funds or do the necessary due diligence, but their requests for more time were turned down.

!Officers talked to them, and I personally wrote to them urging to give full consideration to other bids, but to no avail.

"All others who were interested in taking on the pier had met me and council officers to talk about their proposals, and ask about what would be possible on the pier in planning terms, and how the council could help with a special planning policy to allow appropriate development on the pier (which would have to be done in conjunction with Historic England).

"But we have had no formal approach at all from anyone associated with Eastbourne Pier.

"So we have no idea what his ideas for Hastings Pier are - we've not seen the bid, nor have we been told anything about it.

"I had seen the rumours on social media, but the administrators told the council on Wednesday afternoon that no decision had been made.

"The first I knew about it was from the email from the administrators to pier shareholders, as one of the shareholders.

"Over the years, Hastings Council has spent well over a million pounds on the compulsory purchase and restoration of Hastings Pier.

"But we didn't own it - it was transferred to Hastings Pier Charity, who eventually put the pier into administration because they couldn't run it without several hundred thousand pounds a year in public subsidy.

"We'll now have to see what Mr Gulzar has in mind, when he decides to share that with us."