An entrepreneur has said it is "full steam ahead" for a busy summer season on a Sussex pier - despite the company behind it being forced into liquidation.
Eastbourne Borough Council said it is monitoring the situation after Lions Pier Limited, the company that has operated Eastbourne Pier, was placed into compulsory liquidation by court order on May 12.
Brett McLean, a self-described entrepreneur, posted on Facebook on Wednesday: "This morning I had the pleasure to visit Eastbourne Pier and by chance met the owner Sheikh Abid Gulzar.
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"It's great to see the vacant units getting ready for new tenants and to meet the pier's chief engineer.
"Looks like its full steam ahead for a very busy summer season for the pier and the myriad of independent hospitality and retail businesses operating on the pier ( especially when the PS Waverley returns later in the year)."
Mr Gulzar has owned Eastbourne Pier since 2015 and is also the owner of Hastings Pier, though he faces ongoing business and legal challenges.
He is due to stand trial in November on 10 counts of fraud in connection to unpaid water bills for hotels in Eastbourne and Hailsham between 2018 and 2024. He denies all charges.
Hastings Pier has been declared a frozen asset while these legal proceedings are ongoing, after Mr Gulzar said he intended to sell the pier in autumn last year.
The company behind Eastbourne Pier, Lions Pier Limited, with Mr Gulzar listed as sole director, was put into liquidation following a petition filed in March.
Under Mr McLean's Facebook post, members of the public questioned the timing of his post given the above news, to which he replied the pier was "open for business".
A critical unresolved issue is whether Lions Pier Limited owns the physical structure of the pier.
If so, the Official Receiver could sell the asset to help pay creditors.
If Mr Gulzar holds the freehold separately, he may retain control, as happened with Hastings Pier.
A spokesman for Eastbourne Borough Council said: "We are monitoring the situation at Eastbourne Pier very closely.
"It is an iconic and much-loved seafront attraction, and we hope the Official Receiver can secure an outcome that ensures it remains open and restored for residents, visitors and businesses based on the pier."
The council confirmed that officers regularly check the pier's general condition and these inspections will continue.
Mr Gulzar acquired Hastings Pier in 2018 for £60,000 after the previous owner, Hastings Pier Charity, went into administration.
His operating company for that pier, Lions Hastings Pier Limited, entered voluntary liquidation in 2023 owing more than £313,000 to creditors.
In 2019, Mr Gulzar was convicted of failing to pay nearly £62,000 to HMRC, money deducted from staff wages for PAYE and National Insurance.
Talks to sell Hastings Pier recently broke down after Mr Gulzar set an asking price of £4 million.
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