Eastbourne Pier to stay closed for now – here’s why

Owner Abid Gulzar told The Herald it is ‘too early’ to reopen the landmark, despite the easing of lockdown measures.

While it is closed, four new commercial units are being built on the site.

A spokesperson for Eastbourne Pier said, “In the absence of clear and firm guidance from central or local government, we feel it is in the best interests to keep the pier closed for the time being.

“Rest assured: we are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and we would like to open the pier as soon as possible.

“If this was purely a financial issue, then of course we would have opened earlier to make the most of the financial boost from the summer months,

“We would need to ensure all health issues are addressed so that social distancing would need to be adhered to at all times.

“We are not yet fully confident that this, and other precautions, could be effective 100 per cent.

“We would not want to open the pier and then face the possibility of having to close it again soon after.”

They said, once the pier is ready to reopen, staff will have to be properly trained, which will take time.

Eastbourne Pier has been closed since the coronavirus lockdown began in March.

Fire on Eastbourne Pier

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