Debenhams Redevelopment to get £400k Cash Boost
The Hastings Town Deal Board (“the Board”), which has control of £24.3m of government funds for ‘levelling up’ investment in the town, has approved a £400,000 cash grant towards the redevelopment of the former Debenhams store in Robertson Street.
There has been no detailed announcement so far, either by the Board or by the private development companies Moxie Management Two Limited and C&O Entertainment, of what the £400,000 cash will be spent on, and the funding is still dependent upon a ‘business case’ being accepted both by the Board and by the DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities). However, the project has been summarised by the Board’s media spokesperson as “the creation of a viable and relevant usable space providing a number of quality attractions to add to Hastings Town Centre commercial mix”.
CREDIT: Dave Young
The developers have already gained planning permission for the repurposing of part of the first floor of the former retail store as a games arcade, including the installation of pinball machines along with video, dance and virtual reality games. And it was apparent from architectural floor plans submitted as part of the planning application that they had wider ideas for other leisure facilities on the remainder of the first floor, including an indoor soft play area, a cafe, a children’s mini-golf area, a three-lane bowling alley, and a ‘donkey derby’ course.
This project did not feature in the original Town Deal bid process – it could not have done, since the collapse of Debenhams last year and the subsequent purchase of the premises by the developers came too late. But the opportunity to seek a share of the investment funds arose when one of the core projects in the town centre – redevelopment of the building at 1-7 Wellington Place owned by Sports Direct – was withdrawn. It was clear that the sum of £1m earmarked for this would have been lost to the town unless the DLUHC could be persuaded to re-allocate.
‘Open call process’
Following discussion initiated by the Town Deal Board, the DLUHC did agree that £600,000 should be dispensed pro rata between existing projects to cover the effect of inflationary cost increases affecting all of them; the balance of £400,000 could be reallocated to a potentially new project through an ‘open call process’ undertaken over a four-week period in March this year.
Eight bids were received during this process, either for the whole of the money available or for some part of it. Competing projects included repairs to His Place Community Church; repair and reconstruction of the road and commercial buildings at Pelham Crescent; revival of the former toilet site at Harold Place; building an indoor rock-climbing facility in the town centre; redevelopment of Havelock Place including a new community and events space; and further development by White Rock Neighbourhood Ventures around Claremont and Gotham Alley.
Rival merits were assessed by the Steer group, consultants described by the Board spokesperson as “our independent technical evaluators”, and their recommendations discussed by the Board’s investment panel, which included co-chairs Carole Dixon and Graham Peters, council leader Paul Barnett and council CEO Jane Hartnell. The Board’s minutes summarise the outcome. While other projects were regarded as “strong in some areas and had their own merits…the Debenhams application met the objectives of the town deal programme and will be able to deliver within the required timescales. The funding will generate additional outputs to a development that is already under way.”
It is noted that a full business case for the Debenhams project has been submitted and will be presented to the panel for approval “in July”.
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