New Eastbourne start for Bexhill trader forced to leave her premises

Charlotte Arundell, had run The Bag Lady shop at the Colonnade for 13 years.

But along with other traders she was forced to close due to plans by Rother District Council to refurbish the landmark building, with the council saying that it would re-market the spaces for rental once the work was complete but could not guarantee a right of return to those who left.

Traders had said that with the local government reorganisation currently under way, they had been given no timetable for the works to take place at the Colonnade in Bexhill, no guarantee of returning and no alternative space to trade.

The Bag Lady and other businesses such as Rachel's Glass Store and The Pebble People say they were told to leave the site when their current leases end in September.

A petition signed by more than 4,500 people was submitted to the council in June.

Rother District Council said it had a responsibility to safeguard the future of the building and once work was completed, it would openly market the available units.

The Colonnade was built in 1911 to commemorate the Coronation of George V. It was given Grade II listed status in 2008.

Charlotte’s last weekend at the Colonnade was September 27 and 28). She said: “It is heart-breaking really. There were so many people that we got to know and saw every day at The Colonnade. They would use the cafe and pop into the shop for a chat. You lose something special when things close.

"Every shop that we lose in Bexhill is another reason for people not to come into the town. Even at the last minute we were hoping for a reprieve or postponement. We tried to make ourselves heard and convince the council of our value but it was like banging your head against a brick wall.

“Surely, best value would be to keep the Colonnade shops open as much as possible, to provide income for Rother and help small businesses and town regeneration as a whole.”

Charlotte had previously called for “fair terms”, saying the traders had been quoted rents “four-and-a-half times the going rate with a potential turnover rate on top.”

Now Charlotte is part of a new Eastbourne shop being opened by Starlings Art and Craft Collective in Sackville Road, Bexhill.

Eastbourne based Mike and Maridy Platten will be working alongside Starlings co-founders Joe Nguyen and Charlotte to open the shop at 66 Grove Road in the Little Chelsea area of Eastbourne.

The shop will open from Friday October 3 through October November and December selling a mix of products made by designers and artists from Sussex and beyond. The product range includes jewellery, handbags, leather purses, original artwork and prints, greetings cards, fused and stained glass, woodcraft, pebble pictures, candles and bespoke signs.

The shop is in the same building as Bayes Active Gym.

Mike Platten said: "Little Chelsea is a busy and thriving part of Eastbourne. It's brimming with independent shops cafes and restaurants. Starlings art and craft collective will enhance and add further value to the area, offering Eastbourne residents access to unique creative and beautiful products not available elsewhere. We are all very excited about the new project.”

Commenting on the Colonnade situation, Bexhill, Cabinet member for regeneration Christine Bayliss said: “The context that we are currently in is that we are currently asking officers to make 10 per cent savings in their budgets for 2026/27. That is the hard-nosed reality.

“The rents that we charge from our commercial tenants makes up 10 per cent of the income we receive and that goes towards our bin collections, our housing services, our parks and gardens, so it is a really, really important element of our budget.

“So it is very unfortunate that we can’t guarantee a right to return. However, we can guarantee that we will take into account the good relationships and the excellent track record of existing tenants when we are assessing new applications.”