Rother District Council submits plans for Bexhill town hall revamp

A £15million scheme to refurbish the town hall in Bexhill and construct a new civic centre have taken a step closer to becoming a reality after Rother District Council submitted proposals to the local planning authority.

A council spokesman said the town hall is an “important asset of historical significance” for Rother and the proposed refurbishment will maintain and restore its historic “beauty”.

While the three-storey civic centre extension will have space for new businesses as well as “modern” and “efficient” meeting areas, a public cafe and landscaped courtyard.

Inside the new civic centre there will be space for a café and offices (Image: Rother District Council)

According to the council, the scheme will be self-funding and will be completed at no additional cost to Rother taxpayers.

Income will be generated from the new development by renting out the additional office space, and the refurbishment of the town hall is expected to result in “significant” savings on energy and maintenance costs, which combined will be used to pay back the loan required for the construction.

The town hall is one of the biggest contributors to the council’s carbon footprint, due to its age, and it is anticipated that the new development could reduce the authority’s energy usage by up to 80 per cent. 

A six-week online engagement on the scheme started on Monday, August 15, with the public encouraged to view the proposal and give their feedback.

Feedback from the engagement process will be monitored and considered by a small working group of councillors before being reported to the council’s overview and scrutiny committee, cabinet and full council in October.

Councillor Doug Oliver, leader of Rother District Council, said: “The proposed redevelopment of the town hall and construction of a new civic centre will have huge benefits to Bexhill and the wider Rother district.

“Rother District Council is committed to ensuring every penny of council tax goes into providing the best possible services for residents. This means not spending vast sums of money every year on energy and maintenance for a building that is not fit for purpose.

“The project will promote economic growth in the town centre area with the development of new central employment space, improved pedestrian access and space for new business tenants, helping to realise the area’s full potential as a place where people want to live, work and visit.

“We want to make sure that the public have ample opportunity to give their views as the scheme progresses and I would encourage everyone to view the proposal and give their feedback.”