No true future vision

The problem is, there is no recognition of either its history or a true future vision.

Bexhill has always been a town where the middle classes lived, or had second homes, and where they planned to retire. There were no large or famous hotels or theatres, just a park to stroll in and listen to music from the now vanished bandstand.

When the De La Warr Pavilion was built, it was meant as a place for the townsfolk’s entertainment, not as a high-brow haunt for a self-important elite.

Someone has a vision that Bexhill must modernise, aping all those other seaside towns. High art is shoved into the DLWP, pushing out local people and draining the coffers.

Floral gardens to rival Eastbourne’s, when labour-intensive plants are being replaced in Egerton Park by low-maintenance imports, are proposed on the salt-laden seafront.

Meanwhile, locals vote with their feet. Shopping? Not in Bexhill. Result? Too many estate agents and charity shops but no individual, quality businesses. Bexhill’s only trade is in property, while a Forum meant to be for all serves only a minority.

But don’t blame the officers. As Stuart Earl frankly admitted, our elected members have a lot to answer for. The town’s infrastructure is already at breaking point, yet there is talk of further business parks - while those in Hastings stand empty.

Homes are crammed into every space, while services creak under the strain. Bexhill is being made to outgrow its purpose. All because no one thought to look backwards before rushing into the future, and making Bexhill into something it isn’t.

Stop this rot, and let’s have a real vision involving those who live here and know the town. But be careful - you cannot turn it into something it is plainly not meant to be, no matter what a handful of people decide.

The only thing left will be a suburb of Western Hastings or Greater Eastbourne.

PHILIP de LEON

Woodville Road

Bexhill-on-Sea