This Hastings church building could be knocked down and replaced with homes

In an application to Hastings Borough Council, applicant Victory 1066 Ltd is seeking planning permission to demolish St Anne’s Church in Chambers Road and build five two-bedroom houses in its place. 

Built between 1950 and 1965, planning papers say the church building is considered to be redundant having been sold off by the Church of England last year. 

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In a statement submitted as part of the application, a spokesman for the applicant said: “St Anne’s Church is no longer required as a place of worship and has been sold by the Church of England. 

“Prior to the sale in 2021, the church had not been used for regular worship by the church for a period in excess of ten years, although a small church group did meet there on a weekly basis prior to the covid restrictions in March 2020. 

“This group was offered space in the main parish church ‘Church in the Wood’ but have decided to continue in one of the member’s homes and fully supported the sale of the building as members of the Parochial Church Council.”

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In the plans submitted, the five houses would be served by nine off-street parking bays, five of which would be allocated. 

The houses would be arranged in two terraces, one made up of three properties and the other made up of two. 

The spokesman added: “The site is sustainably located within the built-up area of Hastings. The proposed dwellings would fit in and complement the residential area it is situated within in terms of scale, siting and appearance and there are no identifiable adverse impacts associated with the proposed development. 

“The proposal would effectively use a “brownfield” site for housing and would boost the supply of homes in an area where there is an under supply of deliverable housing sites, which adds weight to the acceptability of housing development on the site.”

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For further information on the proposals see application reference HS/FA/22/00028 on the Hastings Borough Council website.