Hastings Pier not in danger of closing says Sheikh Gulzar

It follows reports this week in the Times, Daily Mail and Sun newspapers that his company, Lions Hastings Pier Ltd, has gone into liquidation owing up to £300,000.

Speaking to the Observer, Mr Gulzar, aged 79, denied this and said: “What the newspapers are saying is incorrect. The pier will not close, only over my dead body and even when I am gone the pier will remain open.

"I have £100 million in reserve to keep it open. I am working for the future of all of our children. The pier will still be open.”

He added: “The pier is the love of my life and it is my duty to keep it open. Work is my life. I work seven days a week and also support eight charities.

"Since I bought the pier I have suffered losses but I have continued to improve it. I have kept it open for four years without the millions of pounds that was previously spent on it.”

The iconic pier first opened in 1872 and has hosted concerts by the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix in its time. It was badly damaged by fire in 2010, but saved thanks to a £12.4million cash injection from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The pier was bought in 2018 by Sheikh Abid Gulzar, who is also the owner of Eastbourne Pier and a number of hotels in the Eastbourne and Hailsham area.

Hastings Pier was registered as an asset of community value following an application by community group Friends of Hastings Pier, who had intended to buy the pier before it was sold to Mr Gulzar.

In 2019, it was confirmed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that Mr Gulzar been fined thousands of pounds in connection with a tax dispute involving some of his companies.

He was fined £8,000 plus costs for failing to pay £61,873 security bonds after he was sent a Notice of Requirement in March 2017 to protect against any future tax defaults based on previous trading history, which he admitted he had received, HMRC said.

HMRC said his two businesses, Mansion Lions Hotel Ltd and Albany Lions Hotel Ltd in Eastbourne, were each also hit with £4,000 fines plus costs after they failed to pay the £39,686 and £22,187 respectively for Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and National Insurance Contributions security to HMRC. Mr Gulzar admitted the offences at Hastings Magistrates’ Court on February 27, 2019.

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