Shock at The Bridge Sell-Off
Paul McLaughlin
The Parchment Trust has confirmed plans to sell The Bridge Community Centre at 361 Priory Road in Hastings. The building, which has been closed for over seven years, has been listed for sale for £650,000.
HIP reported in July that the Trust was closing the centre for good, citing the government’s increase in National Insurance contributions and minimum wage levels introduced in last year’s Budget, combined with a lack of financial support for charities and other state-funded adult social care providers, meant they were unable to continue with the plans to renovate the centre.
Cllr Glenn Haffenden, the Leader of Hastings Borough Council, said he was “shocked” that the building, which was “funded by public money and gifted to the Parchment Trust, is now being sold for £650,000”. He noted several community organisations had been interested in the building for temporary use and that the council had approached the Trust earlier this summer to request community access to the top floor, which would have finally reopened the building. None of these organisations would be able to raise this amount of money, he said.
The Council Leader added: “It is hard to understand how the Parchment Trust have reached this decision without reaching out to either Hastings Borough Council or East Sussex County Council at an early stage when they realised it was becoming difficult to find a way to open the building.”
Cllr Julia Hilton, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Shaping Place, said the council would “ensure the covenants on the building are properly enforced, that should guarantee this building has a community use.” The Parchment Trust,” she added, “are already in breach of this covenant as the building has remained closed since finally transferring to their ownership.”
The Parchment Trust has been one of the key providers of services to disabled adults in Hastings for over 30 years. Its work includes the Friary Gardeners horticultural nursery at Ore Place and a daycare co-operative at Theaklen Drive.
The decision to take on The Bridge in 2018 was part of a vision to expand the Trust’s services to “create the UKs first community centre run by disabled people for the benefit of the whole community.” The aim was to “provide valuable work experience for disabled people, and a wonderful resource for everyone to connect, learn and benefit from time together.”
The charity only gained full ownership of the community centre in March 2024, following what it says was “an extremely lengthy and complicated transfer process involving several parties.” Upon taking ownership, the Trust said it developed a plan, in consultation with the local community, to invest significant funds in essential repairs, and began raising money to renovate the top floor, with the aim of opening to the public by summer 2025.
However, following the “significant” Budget increase in National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage which came into force in April, the Trust claimed, it “could not continue with the renovation and operation of The Bridge without jeopardising its core services. The financial pressure was the final straw after years of squeezed funding from central government for adult social care.”
The charity’s annual report shows an increase in annual turnover from £3.4m in July 2023 to £4.3m the following year and a corresponding increase in expenditure from £2.87m to £3.66m leaving a surplus of £790k. In addition, comments on social media reference the removal of kitchen fittings since the Trust acquired the building.
A spokesperson for East Sussex CC said “the building is subject to a Deed of Covenant between the county council and Parchment Trust. This deed obliges Parchment Trust to use and manage the property for the benefit of the community within the Ore Valley area in Hastings and to ensure that the property is open to the public for at least 20 hours during a week. Any subsequent purchaser will be required to enter into a deed on similar terms.”
Cllr Hilton revealed to BBC Radio Sussex that the county council was taking legal advice to establish the precise nature of the legal covenants covering the building. She suggested that the two covenants: one with East Sussex CC; and the other with Homes England could be appealed by the Trust if they do not achieve a sale within six months.
HIP contacted Sara Whalley, the CEO of the Parchment Trust, for a comment on the sale and was informed that the “Trust had published a statement on its website and would not be making any further comments.”
The website statement defended the decision to sell the property. It said the Trust as a charity was “bound by strict legal obligations”, with trustees “legally required to act in the charity’s best interests to secure the best possible terms when disposing of a property.” As a result, the Trust “could not simply give the property away.”
It added, the trustees “sought legal advice and professional guidance when deciding how to dispose of The Bridge.” This confirmed that due to the fact the Trust “has invested a lot of money in The Bridge, it is in the charity’s “best interests” to try to recover these losses through a sale. This was the strong advice we received in line with our legal obligations.”
With regards to determining the £650,000 sale price, the website statement said the Trust “followed the guidance from the Charities Commission to have an independent valuation done, which took into account the covenants for community use”.
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