Decision made on plans to revamp Bexhill Town Hall

Rother District Council’s planning committee considered an application on Thursday (October 13), connected to the Town Hall Renaissance project, which seeks to redevelop the council-owned site in Bexhill.

After a debate lasting more than three hours, councillors opted to refuse the proposals on design grounds.

Concerns were also raised about the building’s height, the materials to be used during its construction and the reduced number of parking spaces to be provided compared to the existing site.

Councillors initially discussed deferring the application and directing the applicant (the council itself) to address their concerns with a revised proposal.

However, legal advisors cautioned against this approach, telling councillors that a deferral would be inappropriate as it would be treating a council scheme differently to others. As a result, the committee was advised to refuse the proposal if they felt some elements of the project needed to be changed.

Cllr John Barnes (Con) put forward a motion to refuse and said: “I think the uncertainty is such that I am going to, reluctantly, say that while I approve of the scheme in principle, I do not actually agree with the detail. Therefore I must refuse.”

The committee backed Cllr Barnes’ motion to refuse on a narrow seven-to-six vote.

The application proposes the demolition of extensions and annexes to the main town hall building, which would then be replaced with a new civic centre.

This new civic centre — partly three- and partly four-storeys tall — would have included a new public reception with event space and a community cafe. It would also include office space, some which is expected to be leased out by the council.

It was intended to be linked to the main town hall building, which was set for refurbishment as part of the project.

The council has previously said the scheme is expected to cost up to £15m, but would be self-funding and completed at no additional cost to Rother taxpayers.

According to the council, income would have been generated from the new development by renting out the additional office space, while also saving money on energy bills.

For further information on the proposals see application reference RR/2022/1784/P on the Rother District Council website.