Archives for News - Page 3
Vacant Possession
Genuinely radical new powers to tackle Hastings’ empty shops removes a landlord’s ability to delay action indefinitely and will force owners to ‘use it or lose it’ says local building…
News in Brief
Dynamic Obfuscation A freedom of Information request has failed to clarify whether arms manufacturer General Dynamics produced weapons at its Hastings factory which have been used by Israel in the…
DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL: Local Plan at Tipping Point?
KENT BARKER It may be a long, complex and dry document, but no one should doubt that Hastings Draft Plan is vital for the town’s future. As lead council member…
Colonnade Traders Fear Uncertain Future After Cafe Closes
JOEL CHESHIRE The cafe at the Bexhill Colonnade will not now reopen. Its operators are shutting the doors for good after months of refurbishment disruption and mounting uncertainty over the…
Petitionto Ban Bio-Beads
Hastings & Rye MP Helena Dollimore has presented a petition to Parliament with 9,915 signatures, calling for an end to the use of plastic beads in wastewater treatment. The MP’s campaign is…
‘Up-and-come’ St Leonards Makes Sunday Times Best List
St Leonards was named among the top ten places to live in the southeast of England in a Sunday Times feature Best Places to Live 2026 published last weekend. The…
Council Responds to Government on Planning Policy
HUGH SULLIVAN Hastings Borough Council has submitted its formal response to the government’s consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2025. The full text of this response has…
NEWS IN BRIEF
Teenage Educational Centre at Former Debenhams Building Planning permission has been granted by Hastings Borough Council for an area on the first and second floor of the former Debenhams store…
Braverman No Show
Some 250 people gathered at the Stade on Monday morning (23 March) to protest against a visit by Suella Braverman, former Home Secretary under both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak,…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter What are we paying for? Dear HIP, It seems that crime in our area is up and seemingly little or nothing done by police or the courts. Shoplifting in…
Judge Backs Leaseholders in Vive Tussle
HUGH SULLIVAN Leaseholders of the 97 residential flats at 44 Havelock Road, formerly the Vive Hotel, gained a significant victory in the High Court in London last Thursday. After two…
Conquest History to be Rewritten?
HUGH SULLIVAN King Harold wasn’t shot in the eye at the famous battle of 1066, he was hacked to death with lances and swords. And many researchers claim that the…
Hastings Half Marathon
The Hastings Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, 22 March, and police have warned that there will be road closures across the town which will cause some disruption. The…
Eyesore on George Street
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN There is mounting frustration from local traders and residents over the developers’ failure to transform the site of a burnt-out nightclub at the entrance to George Street. In…
Pothole Epidemic
Helena Dollimore has launched a scathing attack on Conservative-run East Sussex County Council (ESCC), accusing it of failing to address the “pothole epidemic” in Hastings, despite receiving a record £21 million…
Community Candidate for Ore
Ben BrugesVicky Wilson Residents of Ore are being invited to a public meeting to show support for Vicky Wilson, who is planning to stand as an Independent Community candidate in…
Old Town Traders Stand Together
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN A spate of break-ins along George Street and High Street in recent weeks has caused distress to local traders and prompted calls for an increased police presence in…
MP Secures Free Bayeux Tapestry Tickets for Local Schoolchildren
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Schools in Hastings and 1066 Country will receive priority booking for free tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry when it goes on display at the British Museum later…
Iran’s Unrest Amid Hastings Calm
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The turmoil gripping Iran is being closely followed by the Kurdish Iranian community in Hastings. Omid Ibrahim, the owner of the popular Kings Barbers on Queens Road, says the impact…
Council Secures Funding to build New Homes for Those in Need
Hastings Borough Council has been allocated more than £ million from the government’s Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) to provide homes for vulnerable residents over the next four years. The…
Town Says No to Casinos
Hastings Borough Council Leader Cllr Glenn Haffenden and Deputy Leader Cllr Julia Hilton have joined over 35 other councils in signing a letter calling on the government to reform gambling…
Support for families living in temporary accommodation
Families with children currently living in temporary accommodation in Hastings are set to receive a financial boost thanks to a government grant of over £55,000. Hastings Borough Council has confirmed…
New Owner Found for The Bridge
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN The future of The Bridge Community Centre in Hastings has been secured after current owners, the Parchment Trust, announced they have found a new buyer for the building…
Green Light for £3m Hastings Castle Visitor Centre Project
Plans to transform Hastings Castle and the West Hill Café have taken a major step forward, with Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet backing the project despite a single objection received during…
News in brief
TERRORISM SUSPECTS WELCOME COURT RULING The High Court ruling over the legality of banning Palestine Action has been welcomed by local protestors. Gabriel Carlyle, arrested in Parliament Square in July…
Arrests over Social Housing Sell-off
BEN BRUGES Two members of Hastings Housing Rebellion have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass following the group’s occupation of a house in Battle. Occupied House in Battle After…
Not in Ore Back Yard
HUGH SULLIVAN Hastings Borough Council (HBC) has launched a consultation on its draft Local Plan – and stirred the residents of Ore into a hornets’ nest of opposition to several…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter MASSIVE WASTE OF MONEY The Panorama programme The Pothole Problem featuring ‘Juliet in Hastings’ lays it out very clearly: If you’re fixing potholes, your strategy has failed, because in…
The NHS – Your Experiences
Our lead story shows improvements across the local East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, but how do the statistics reflect the experiences of patients themselves? Here HIP has collected reports and…
EXCLUSIVE: Local NHS Numbers in Recovery?
JAMES PRENTICE An exclusive investigation by the Hastings Independent has revealed sustained improvements in figures for the local NHS trust. These enhancements in service delivery are spread across a broad…
Are Local NHS Services Improving?
A Freedom of Information request by the Hastings Independent reveals some statistical signs of improvement in local NHS health care. Waiting times and the backlog are coming down. Patient to…
Council Tax Bills Set to Rise
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved draft budget plans, including a council tax increase for residents from April. This is the maximum rise allowed by the government without…
Help Create a New Local Plan
CLLR MARK ETHERINGTON, Lead councillor for strategic planning and climateadaptation, Hastings Borough Council We need your help to create our new Local Plan which will guide the development and future…
The Greenest Building is the One that Already Exists
GRACE LALLY of Hastings Housing Alliance advocates for a retrofit approach to upgrade housing stock The draft Local Plan supports demolishing hundreds of social rented flats in the Four Courts,…
This Local Plan is a Weak Plan
Paul Barnett, Leader of the Hastings Independent Group, Hastings BC We all know there is a housing crisis in Hastings. The council has made tackling this a priority. And many…
Why Hastings’ New Local Plan Matters
HELEN KAY, Leader of the Labour Group Hastings BC Hastings council has launched a consultation on its proposed local plan. Why is this important? A local plan is one of…
Not a Plan for Walkers or Cyclists
ANNA SABIN, Hastings Urban Bikes Where are the walking, cycling and bus networks? Not in the Local Plan and certainly not on the ; For the residents of our newer…
Local Mother’s Road Safety Campaign
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN A local mother’s campaign for tougher road safety laws following the death of her son has won the backing of the Government and led to the introduction of…
Arson Suspected in Magdalen Road Fire
JOEL CHESHIRE A fire at the disused former convent site on Magdalen Road in St Leonards required a major response from emergency services last Sunday (1 February) afternoon. Police have…
Pavilion Re-Powered, Azur Branding Dropped
HUGH SULLIVAN Sea Change Sussex, leasehold owners of the former Azur Marina Pavilion, confirmed last week that a new power supply has finally been installed and connected by UK Power…