Dear Metro,
I’d like to briefly pen this response to your article on the 23rd January All About… Hastings – Shoreditch on Sea is on the up and up says Alison Taylor.
It may surprise you to hear that many people in Hastings are starting to discover London. Until recently overlooked as Paris’s deformed and culturally bereft cousin, many people in Hastings are starting to look at London for day trips. Like Milan but less relevant to the fashion industry, London offers many attractions for long weekends away from the coast without the hassle of going abroad.
Local readers should know, if concerned, that you will not experience the same indifferent, bordering on hostile, interactions as you would with Parisians. Never fear, in London you’ll feel the full force of a certain level of obtuse apathy that’ll delight and amaze. People don’t so much avoid human interaction, as it’s just not really important one way or another.
So why not swap your 5 bedroom grade II listed house for a London flat?
For those travelling the other way, Failed in London Trying Hastings (FILTH) as the parlance goes, there are a couple of things to bring to your attention. There are multifaceted social challenges being played out in the town. Caused partly by; a decline in seaside tourism in 1970s UK, a lack of alternative economies, low employment and a long delayed regeneration towards prosperity.
Think of it like the North, but South.
Recently we have managed to foster a cultural regeneration; the communities native to, or at least well established in, Hastings are enjoying a fashionable boon and artistic renaissance. We would like to keep what we have created.
Buying a second home in Hastings inflates house prices, spoiling the rejuvenating economy through a gentrification process that will lead to local people being priced out of their own town. This is why we do our best to deter cultural migrants from London seeking a place by the sea to spend more time with their money.
If you want to live in Hastings please think about the impact on the community that will eventually, begrudgingly, and through a system of hazing, accept your presence after a few short years.
Best,
Alan Bolwell
Features Editor
Ok, I do get this is satire, but there’s plenty of room here for everybody, it’s what makes Hastings & St Lens so interesting and diverse. I don’t believe second homes were even mentioned in the Metro article, rather they seemed to be championing (with envy) our fabulous way of life. When someone pays you a compliment it’s usually polite to at least smile enigmatically, not insult them and tell them why they’re wrong! But if you must insist, perhaps you could have clarified that Portobello-on-Sea is preferable to Shoreditch-on-Sea. Thank you very much.
Being Sussexbornandbred you will be aware of the historic and joyful xenophobia native to Sussex that is for the largest part tongue in cheek. We refer to Kent as The North and compete to see who is more local by measuring how long you’ve lived in your current locality.
On the other hand, gentrification is a serious issue. While I’m not advocating pulling up the drawbridge, we cannot pick up our belongings and move out as easily as Londoners if prices rise too much.
Where would you move to if you were priced out of your home? Would you be happy about it?
I’ve already been gentrified out of my original hometown of Brighton already. Is it a bad thing? Yes and no. The Brighton I grew up in is now unrecognisable, so in some respects I was glad to leave. i don’t think gentrification is a clear cut black-and-white issue, and not all change is necessarily ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I feel very fortunate to have found the community of Hastings and St Leonards (who are *mostly* supportive once one’s credentials are proven to their satisfaction) ;-), so I look to embrace the positive changes that new people and their experiences could bring, since none of us can stop ‘progress’.
This has inspired me! Excellent writing, point well made and I love the FILTH ancoronym.
We are not Shoreditch! We are not Portobello! We are not Random on Sea! And we are certainly not the vomit-inducing contraction ‘St Lens’. We are simply Hastings & St Leonards, proud to be so, and many of us resentful of people who try to portray us as something we are not and never want to be.
We are whatever we want to be! ‘Free from…hen dos’ and ‘quietly garnering a reputation as a cultural hot spot’ is exactly how some of us, well, I, quite like my home to be portrayed (I don’t speak for everyone).
S’all a bit sad really… No need to be so serious..
We moved here eleven years ago from North London and it’s the best thing we ever did..
Life down here is so nice by comparison and I could never move back to the capital.
Hastings offers way more than cheaper homes to the people coming here, it offers a chance to live and know your community, a chance to get involved and make things happen..
It’s important to come down here and add your presence, bring yourself to the table and contribute.
There is a feeling here that it actually is what we make it!
The second home empty house thing is a bit of a waste..
Come and participate.,.,
One Love.
Zz.
Exactly! It’s all gotten a bit heavy about a bit of throwaway press. I still reckon the variety of people and opinions is a big part of what makes it different here from everywhere else, and that makes it special…Even allowing for the ones who purport to speak for many, and who apparently don’t get jokes! 😉 Appreciate that some people have concerns about gentrification, but that’s not what the original article was about, and really until something is done about the dire train links to London, it is unlikely to happen on a large scale.
After all the years of decline, with the new pier and the skate park opening, should we not be enjoying the well deserved change of fortune, instead of scaring potential visitors off?
Couldn’t agree more . I moved here eighteen years ago. Like moving from hell to heaven. Leaving behind gang culture ,violence, pollution. Many friends have visited from all cultural backgrounds. They arrive a little worried at the reception they may get and go home singing the praises of this community and their welcome. I Love this Town.
I’d agree. There is plenty about this town that I love, and having lived in and appreciated the town for many years I’m sure that you love it too. As I mentioned in the article, eventually we accept people. Although there is a friendly xenophobia (that I’m sure you’re aware of) that we use to tease newcomers, It’s one of the few things we have to prevent full scale purchase of our beloved home.
It’s about preserving those things that make this town great. Not just for those people who have the financial privilege to buy into the community, but also for the locals who can’t just move out of town when prices rise.
We grew up poor and creative. We made the best of a hard time in a run down town by the sea. We became musicians and artists or supported our friends in their endeavors. After all that many of us are finding it hard to afford accommodation in our hometown because our bohemian culture became cool for people in London. As the last line in the article suggests, contribute to our culture and you are welcome to share in it, it should not be for sale.
I’m sorry if this article offended you. Suspicion of outsiders is one of those Hastings things that people should be aware of before moving here.
Happy for anyone from anywhere to live here.
I was born and live in Hastings and love it
A voice of sanity
but what about those from Kent or France?
– a voice of insanity
bore off
We moved to Hastings almost twelve years ago. Apart from the interesting sea front and the off the shore fishing fleet,the historic Old Town, the calendar packed with festive events, The hundreds of voluntary organisations, the restored pier and the new skate park, the pub culture and live music groups, the Sussex College, the new railway station building, The museums, the sports facilities, the shopping mall and town centre, the two cinemas, the two theatres, the new art gallery, the street musicians, the beautiful countryside so close to the town, the availability of ancient castles and 1066 historical sights, the number of courses available not only at the College but run by a large number of voluntary interest groups, the lively and active Christian church community and their commitment to work for the needy, both locally and abroad, and many other attractions that make Hastings a wonderful place to live, the aspect we like best of all is the attitude of tolerance and friendliness, mutual respect and kindness of the people of Hastings. Everyone is welcome. GOOD OLD HASTINGS!!!!!!!!!
12 years… yep, you can stay
Are you Hastings/St Leonards born and bred, Alan?
I am. Born in the Buchanan.
The article I wrote was not a call for all Londoners to leave Hastings or avoid it. It was a warning of the dangers of not investing back into the community, having some small economic protections in place – economic planning, and an appeal for people to contribute to Hastings culture rather than trying to buy into it.
“The article I wrote was not a call for all Londoners to leave Hastings or avoid it.”
But that’s exactly what it sounded like. If you’d have written an article outlining the dangers of what you say in your last reply, I think you would have received a less frosty response than you have done.
I have yet to meet any Londoners buying second homes here (not saying there aren’t any). I have met many who have moved from London (none native Londoners) – my family and I included – who moved because they love it here and all actively contribute, both culturally and financially.
We should all work together for the betterment of our fantastic town.
This is an extremely hostile article.. What makes Hastings such a melting pot is that it’s a crossroads of different characters contributing to the community. Why be so hostile and closed off to people wishing to move here? Yes it’s a worry that he rising popularity will price out locals but the reason people are being drawn here is because of the fabulousness and that will inevitably happen. In my experience anyone who has moved here does so because they fall in love with the place and that is what accounts for the very special atmosphere … People who have gratitude for the place. Rest assured that those who do not treat it with love will not thrive here hopefully and soon be on the move anyway!
Gentrification is a serious issue. While I’m not advocating pulling up the drawbridge, we cannot pick up our belongings and move out as easily as Londoners if prices rise too much. Where would we go? Bexhill? Whitstable?! It’s unthinkable.
Locals are already struggling and price rises could be the death of this town.
AFAICT you’ve coeverd all the bases with this answer!