Residents' ideas on what empty St Leonards seafront venue should become: 'Need a Nando's in Hastings'
Residents have put forward ideas for what an empty St Leonards seafront venue should become after the site was put back on the market.
Marina Pavilion, where Azur was based, is available for interested businesses via commercial property agents Dyer & Hobbis and Fleurets. Economic development company Sea Change Sussex said it is inviting interest and offering viewings to businesses.
The company added that the venue is back on the market following extensive repair work.
A company spokesperson said power has been restored after a long-running electricity supply problem stemming from outside the building.
Readers on the Observer's Facebook page commented on what the building should become.
One said: “A theatre and cinema.”
Another said: “Need a Nando’s in Hastings. No more coffee shops; there are a lot of coffee shops in Hastings and Bexhill, and a Nando’s would be super.”
One resident suggested turning the venue into a bowling alley.
Another said: “Be nice if Wetherspoons took it over. How lovely having a cold beer on the seafront.”
And another resident said the venue would make a 'nice seafood wine bar or a beach cafe'.
However, some branded the building an 'eyesore', with one saying it should never have been built.
One said: “I think it is a remnant of a bygone era. Preserving Regency buildings is one thing but this place - so ugly.”
The Sea Change Sussex spokesperson said: “The Marina Pavilion is a two-storey, 14,000 sq ft (1,300 sqm) building with two large, flexible trading spaces and an extensive, beach-facing balcony.
“It was originally built in the 1930s as a single-storey café and set of function rooms, before gradually falling into disrepair and finally closing in 2003. It was modernised and brought back into use as part of the local regeneration programme as a restaurant, bar, conference, wedding and event venue in 2008, with the addition of a contemporary, promenade-level storey.”
Azur opened there in 2008 and incorporated Teddy's Cocktail Bar and Grill. But it ceased trading on January 29, 2024.
A question mark hung over the venue’s future in the last year before it shut its doors in 2024 due to a ‘long-running dispute’ between the company managing it,
Azur Events Limited, and the leasehold owner Sea Change Sussex.
Sea Change then brought forward a winding-up order.
The move left Azur’s future in doubt, with the fate of more than 45 functions for 2023/24 hanging in the balance. An out-of-court settlement was later reached between both parties.
In June 2024 Sea Change said 11 potential operators expressed interest in taking over the running of the seafront venue following Azur’s closure.
However Sea Change Sussex said it had to withdraw the property from the market when it became apparent that communal services in the wider Marina complex – retained by Hastings Borough Council – were unsafe and the timescales for repairs were uncertain.
The company said it has since worked with the council and UK Power Networks, installing a new mains power supply to service the Marina Pavilion and neighbouring properties, as well as rectifying problems with the shared drainage and fire escape.
The Sea Change Sussex spokesperson added: “The recent completion of these works has enabled Sea Change Sussex to arrange essential repairs to the property including electrical safety works, external cleaning, graffiti removal and other minor works necessary to put the property back on the market. These works have made the property ready to be refitted to suit the needs of future occupiers.”
Andrew Frost, development director at Sea Change Sussex, said: “The Marina Pavilion is a fantastic, much-loved seafront property that offers the ability to create a unique venue on the seafront benefitting from direct access to both the beach and promenade. We’re happy to be bringing it back to the market with the power and drainage problems finally behind us.
“There’s a great deal of interest in the facility from potential operators as well as members of the community who’ve enjoyed using it over recent years. We look forward to seeing who comes forward, as well as talking to some of the businesses that previously submitted proposals.”
Anyone interested in finding out more or arranging a viewing can contact Alex Hobbis at Dyer & Hobbis by email at [email protected] or call 01424 423626, or Nick Earee of Fleurets by email at [email protected] or call 01273 429500.