Town Deal boost for Hastings Commons
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN
Hastings BC has awarded the £1m Towns Fund grant for the Town Living Project funding to Hastings Commons, to support the delivery of 12 affordable, sustainable and energy efficient homes within the Observer Building in Hastings town centre.
The project will repurpose 765 sqm of previously derelict floor space on the second and third floors of the Observer Building. There will be eleven 1-bedroom homes and one 2-bedroom home. These will be provided for those in severe housing need with rents set at the lower end of Hastings Living Rents (1/3 of local median wages) or at 80% of market rent.
Eight of the homes will be for Hastings BC nominations to reduce the need for temporary accommodation and completion is due by March 2026. Residents will be selected from the Council’s Housing Register using the same criteria as those who live next door in Rock House. The criteria are based on housing need, local connection, enthusiasm for the Hastings Commons’ ethos and a willingness to contribute to the Commons and the wider community.
The £1m funding had originally been ring fenced for the refurbishment of a heritage property in Wellington Square, but plans were revised due to various risks associated with the listed building, including financial, suitability and future management of the building. HBC has been considering how to deliver the project given its restricted finances.
However, there has been some criticism of the award of the grant, given that Dr Jess Steele, the CEO of Hastings Commons, sits on the Town Deal Board and is part-owner of the Observer Building. Local businessman, Philip Oakley, said the “allocation of £1m to achieve a 20% rental discount on a few flats did not make a lot of financial sense. The Observer Building has already received £5m of Town Deal money from a pot that was meant to help regenerate the whole of Hastings, but which has been spent in this one small area of the Town.”
Hastings BC confirmed that “Jess Steele is a member of the Town Deal Board, but not involved in the decision process for this project and not a member of the Town Investment Panel. The decision was taken by the Town Investment Panel, which has delegated authority from the Board to make decisions.”
Despite the concerns, Cllr Glenn Haffenden, Hastings BC lead councillor for Housing and Wellbeing, and Graham Peters, the Chair of the Town Deal Board, were agreed that the £1m funding would be used to deliver much- needed affordable, energy efficient homes within the town centre.
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