Wave of Protest
HUGH SULLIVAN and PAUL MCLAUGHLIN
Plans for a major new housing development on the former bathing pool site at Seaside Road in West St Leonards have been revealed by prospective developers, over three-and-a-half years after signing a Development Agreement with Hastings Borough Council (HBC).
Anna Sabin
The proposals, showcased at a public exhibition last Tuesday (29 April) at Electro Studios, featured detailed drawings and visual projections for more than 150 new homes on the site. The exhibition was repeated in the concourse of Priory Meadow last Friday (2 May).
The developers, West Marina St Leonards Limited (WMSLL), presented two options. The first detailed plans for up to 151 new homes, to include a mix of houses, ‘cottages’, and flats. A second, smaller alternative proposed 118 homes.
WMSLL is a joint venture between the Generator Group and County Gate Properties. The company was granted a long lease on the site by HBC, as the freeholder, in October 2021–reportedly for 250 years.
Neither the company nor HBC has disclosed the terms of the lease. All Council Leader Julia Hilton would confirm was that her administration “had inherited an agreement for redevelopment of that site including commercial, leisure and residential uses, and that the site is in the local plan for development.”
When asked about it last Tuesday, WMSLL director Paul Isaacs told HIP, “Why should we? Do Tescos reveal the terms of their leases when they build a new superstore?”
A company spokesperson described the site as “allocated in the Local Plan for a residentially led, mixed-use development, incorporating commercial, leisure and residential uses. Our goal is to create a sustainable, dynamic and thriving community that brings together housing, work, leisure and culture.”
The plans include a small water sports centre, and both design options feature a central square or ‘park’ set between two medium-rise residential blocks. In the presentation, this space was described as an area for community activities and events. However, its main purpose is to make practical use of the space above a large underground water tank owned by Southern Water. The overall design has also had to accommodate the presence of major water pipes running beneath the site, which has shaped how the layout was developed.
Mr Isaacs made it clear that the primary focus of the development would be housing, with around 120 homes to align with the current Local Plan, or up to 150, which he said reflects the target outlined in what he referred to as “the Emerging Local Plan”.
WMSLL claim they have had a lot of positive feedback from hosting the two exhibitions. The event held in Priory Meadow –specifically chosen to encourage broader engagement and to gather a more representative cross-section of views from across the town – elicited particularly positive responses from younger residents, for whom the lack of adequate housing remains a serious issue.
However, Anna Sabin, Chair of the West St Leonards Neighbourhood Forum (WSLNF), said she was shocked by the proposed housing development and questioned where the promised end of Promenade ‘destination’ was in the plans. “They show a car-heavy housing estate with acres of parking and tarmacked roads with little public space and nowhere to replicate our existing much-loved, sandy playground.”
One of her two biggest concerns was the proposed ‘town square’ and playground, placed atop the Southern Water tank lids. She said “This area’s permitted use in the existing Local Plan ‘must not be built over’ as the water company needs regular access to the site to carry out essential maintenance. In the draft emerging Local Plan, this has been changed to ‘a new central square at the heart of the Seaside Road site…incl. opportunities for play.’ Either way WMSLL cannot pretend the tank square, cut off from the beach by a row of two-story buildings, can accommodate a playground, astroturf exercise area and public green space worth considering as a destination.”
Ms Sabin said the West St Leonards Neighbourhood Forum “has spent years developing a community-led plan that prioritises a village green, sustainable development, and less traffic – reflecting residents’ hopes for a vibrant social and economic hub on at least the eastern end of this prime seafront site, rather than a car-dominated housing estate. The WMSLL’s vision, however, adds hundreds of cars to the neighbourhood. It devotes excessive space to roads and parking and offers only scraps like live/work studios as token gestures towards making this a destination for anyone who doesn’t live there.
“Destination community space has been sacrificed to parking and a maximum number of new homes. If car parking were to give way instead, the development could be designed car-lite to use the abundant local public transport and a shared car hub. The site would then realise much better value and quality of life. East Sussex County Council would need to support such a shift, though, to date they haven’t shown any commitment to pedestrian–or cycle-friendly planning. WSLNF and many residents still hope for a better outcome that reflects the area’s unique potential.”
Cllr Hilton stressed that “Nothing is ready to go.” She said the “developers have only just started consulting on their plans, and there is a way to go yet before a planning application is submitted. Deadline for comments on this initial stage is 23 May, and I have encouraged them to engage with the various resident groups who have lots of ideas of what they would like to see on the site.”
The consultation can be accessed at: https://westmarinaquarter.consultationonline.co.uk
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