Developers Seek to Shed Community Centre
HUGH SULLIVAN
The housing estate being built on the site of Ashdown House, the former Department of Work & Pensions office-block off Harrow Lane, is due to accommodate 151 new homes and a fresh Aldi supermarket. The planning permission obtained in January 2022 from Hastings Borough Council also provided for the developers, Chartway Partnerships Group, to build a ground floor community centre below six residential flats within the estate.
But last month, Chartway lodged an application to modify this permission by substituting two more two-bedroom flats for the planned community centre. They claim that there is no “genuine demand” for the community space.
This claim is based upon the findings of a consultation process undertaken by Chartway. In a glossy brochure styled as a ‘Community Engagement Report’, which is lodged on the council’s planning website, they quoted Steve Manwaring, director of Hastings Voluntary Action, as advising that “asking a community group to take on the lease of the building will be more challenging”. He expressed the belief that they should aim for an “anchor tenant model”.
They had then enquired of a number of community groups operating in the area, including Education Futures Trust (EFT), to fulfil this role but did not identify any. They concluded that there is no such interest in the space “at this stage”.
An outside observer might question whether it is rather premature to decide that there is no demand for a community space before the natural community that would use it, namely the 151 households who will shortly be living there, have arrived and taken up occupation. Moreover, there will be another 140 households arriving in due course at the further development on the other side of Harrow Lane.
Manwaring himself commented last week to HIP: “My basic position would be that any large-scale housing development should be accompanied by community infrastructure.”
He added: “The fact that no charity stepped forward to partner on this initiative may have more to do with the capacity of local charities rather than the need for the space to be provided. It has been an extremely challenging period in the charity sector (in terms of funding and operating costs), and it may be the case that the fact that no partner organisation was identified may speak more to the ability of local organisations to manage this project and the risk it might entail. I don’t think it should be inferred that there is any less need for a space.”
A council decision on Chartway’s modification proposal is awaited.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply