Commercial land agents Dyer & Hobbis are continuing to market former church-turned-arts-venue St Mary in the Castle for outright sale or lease on behalf of Hastings Borough Council. However, local entrepreneur Jess Steele has come up with a more radical idea – that the council should combine St Mary with Hastings castle above as a single attraction connected by a lift shaft or external cliff-face elevator/escalator operating directly between them. Boreholes in the rock could provide ground source heat to St Mary so as to resolve its perennial damp problems.

Ms Steele has written to leader of the council Paul Barnett and culture portfolio holder Andy Batsford putting this idea forward; she refers to finance potentially available from the allocation of Town Deal funds to an upgrade of the castle. Cllr Barnett’s initial response indicated that the council has invited tenders for alternative management options, but that the capital outlay on Ms Steele’s scheme was suspected to be prohibitive.

Supporters of the scheme were due to meet on Tuesday (10 January) for further discussion.


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https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/news.jpghttps://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/news.jpgHIPNewsDyer & Hobbis,Hastings Borough Council,Hastings Town Deal,HBC,Jess Steele,St Mary in the Castle,Town DealCommercial land agents Dyer & Hobbis are continuing to market former church-turned-arts-venue St Mary in the Castle for outright sale or lease on behalf of Hastings Borough Council. However, local entrepreneur Jess Steele has come up with a more radical idea – that the council should combine St Mary...The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper