Reader's letter: "I am concerned by the proposals to demolish two buildings to the side of the Bexhill Town Hall to create community space"

My husband and I have recently moved to Bexhill, attracted by the strong sense of community, clear support of environmentalism and interesting architecture.

I am concerned by the proposals to demolish two buildings to the side of the Town Hall to create community space.

I am aware there are several community venues, including church halls, close to the Town Hall. With the looming recession, these venues will face stronger competition for hire income without the introduction of a new venue.

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I would like assurance an independent assessment has been carried out on the impact of a new community space on those in existence and use, as one would expect from a responsible council.

It is well-known that demolition releases carbon. It would be useful to know whether a carbon impact assessment had been performed to quantify the impact of demolition and new build as opposed to retrofitting the existing buildings.

While I am not an architect, I was previously a Victorian Society Trustee and understand the importance of maintaining the character of a location, as in the Beulah Baptist Church case and, arguably, in this situation.

The buildings to be demolished are in keeping with the buildings close by. I am unclear as to the merits of the proposed buildings in terms of creating a destination town square or preserving the character of the area.

Lastly, in these economically perilous times, I question the wisdom of embarking on such a project. While there is the old adage 'build the way out of recession' that was before the environmental negative impact of building was known and does not account for existing community spaces and ventures.

My husband and I will object to the proposals and are disappointed that our view of Bexhill has been challenged so soon after our arrival in this lovely community.

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