Seafront hotel: 700 responses

OBSERVER readers have sent in more than 700 questionnaire slips telling us your views on the seafront hotel scheme debate.

And they won't make pleasant reading for Sea Space, the regeneration firm that came up what is proving to be one of the most controversial ideas in Bexhill's history.

Based on slips received so far, Observer readers oppose the scheme by a clear seventeen-to-one. That ratio would have been far more damning had we counted responses from couples as two votes.

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In addition to that, some 5,000 signatures have been collected in petitions run by the Save Our Seafront campaign and Jackie Bialeska.

The issue was due to be debated last night at a public meeting at the Victoria Hall.

What's sure is that public opposition to the idea - for a 60-bed-hotel, office, retail and residential space on the Metropole Putting Green - isn't going away.

This week Mrs Bialeska put paint to canvas to illustrate how she thinks the futuristic ABK design would look when built.

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She has painted two point-of-view scenes from Sackville Road. One looks out over the open space and seaside vista currently enjoyed while the other shows the hotel looming over Sackville Road and blocking out the scenery.

Mrs Bialeska said: "It's possible slightly exaggerated but should serve as a reminder to people what we could lose if we don't fight this scheme."

r Don't miss next week's Observer for full and final results of our readers' poll and an account of last night's public meeting.

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