COASTAL COMMUNITY TEAMS

ECONOMIC PLAN

Local Area

Bexhill-on-Sea is a sea-side town on the south coast between and . Bexhill was a village of about 100 dwellings with a manor house until about 130 years ago. Bexhill-on-Sea was created by the seventh Earl De La Warr as a sea-side resort in the late nineteenth century along with Eastbourne. Bexhill is close to an area of outstanding natural beauty and a site of special scientific interest. The boundary of Coombe Haven Country Park meets Bexhill on the Eastern sea front. There are exposed dinosaur foot-prints on the beach. The resort is the home of British Motor Racing and in 1902 hosted the first international motor-car race on British soil. Our Town Charter was the first to be delivered by car! Logie Baird lived and died here. Bexhill was the first beach in England to allow mixed bathing. You can still buy a cup of tea on the seafront from one of the old ‘bathing stations’. The ninth Earl De La Warr built the iconic De La Warr Pavilion, he called it ‘a people’s palace,’ on the sea front which he eventually gave to the people. It now lives up to its name, employing over seventy people, and drawing in visitors to the town every day for auditorium events and exhibitions in the galleries, while supporting local community groups and local events.

Our new link road opened in December 2015 and will open up a gateway of land along its path, between Bexhill and Hastings, providing two thousand new homes, a 500,000 sq ft business park (with the first building taken up) and a countryside park. To provide the transport infrastructure, the Government has committed to support the delivery of the Javelin trains to run from London St Pancras to Hastings and Bexhill. We believe that there will be a large growth in the area from these infrastructure initiatives and we want businesses to benefit.

Local community

There is a wealth of experience and knowledge in Bexhill and this demonstrates itself in the number of organisers and doers who take on voluntary roles within the town. Examples include:

Bexhill Community Bus, an entirely volunteer run scheme which runs four bus routes every day connecting the Town Centre and the Hospital with areas not covered by the commercial bus services

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Bexhill Lions Club - a group of local volunteers which is at the heart of the local community which supports the local community through a range of projects - including young people, disadvantaged people, disabled people, the environment and Health, and raises considerable sums of money to donate to local charities and good causes

Bexhill Rail Action Group - A voluntary group that campaigns for better rail services on the East Coastway line between Eastbourne and Hastings and onwards to and London

Bexhill Caring Community - a charity serving the older people of Bexhill with a range of services to make life easier and help them remain independent and in their own homes. It operates Dial-a-ride, Day Centre, community car service for medical appointments.

Bexhill Old Town Preservation Society – a group which seeks to preserve the historic identity of Bexhill Old Town

Bexhill Rotary Club - delivers a wide range of community projects and also raises funds for local charities.

Homecall- a local voluntary home visiting service for blind and partially sighted people in Bexhill.

Home Start - Volunteers help families with young children deal with whatever life throws at them - They help families to find solutions to problems such as post-natal illness, isolation, bereavement, disability and domestic violence. Thus enabling the whole family to reach a better future.

Bexhill Environment Group - volunteers work to protect and improve the Bexhill environment and promote a sustainable green future; action on waste and recycling, protecting the marine environment and promoting sustainable transport.

The contact details of over 100 local community organisations are available on the Town Team’s web site.1

Following 10 years of key infrastructure investment (Bexhill High School, DLWP, Egerton Park, Bexhill – Hastings Link Road, Elva Way, West Parade); Bexhill as a community is seeing a change in demographics and is ready for growth. The prospect of 2,000 new homes in North Bexhill will reinforce this structural change, bringing new people, new skills and businesses to the area. Consequently, there is high level lobbying for high speed trains to London, and for a new budget hotel for the central area. Bexhill’s over 65s are now baby boomers, who are active, fit and living longer.

This dataset shows the resident population from the 2011 Census. However, there is noticeable change since then.

Age All people Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent

2 aged 0- aged 15- aged 30- aged 45- aged Gender Geography 14 29 44 64 65+ England and 56,075,912 17.6 19.9 20.5 25.4 16.4 Wales All South East 8,634,750 17.8 18.6 20.4 26.1 17.2 people East 526,671 16.1 15.9 17.2 28.0 22.7 Rother 90,588 14.6 13.3 14.4 29.3 28.4 Bexhill Central 5,586 13.8 18.8 17.8 25.2 24.5

Local economy

As a coastal town, the business economy is limited by a 180 degree catchment; however the economy is showing green shoots in response to the prospect of better links to London and from the surrounding area’s regeneration. 85% of businesses are micro (1-5 employees), and this is true of Bexhill; there is a strong regional base of financial and legal businesses e.g. Hastings Direct is Bexhill’s biggest private sector employer, and the care sector is also significant. There are a small number of specialist scientific businesses locally, and online based businesses are starting to grow.

The high street, Town Centre, retailers are mostly independent, with some very long- standing, resilient traders. Western Road, the street with most ‘shops’, is due to see major regeneration, with investment from J D Wetherspoon into the derelict former Cinema sites which have been a blight on the area for many years. There is a very active charity shop contingency, which although challenging, means that shops are occupied, and they also attract the vintage and student markets.

The cultural sector is one of the fastest-growing GVA contributors of all sectors. Bexhill has the benefit of the De La Warr Pavilion which has gone from strength to strength in recent years and now attracts both local and regional audiences.

Visitor numbers to the De La Warr Pavilion are strong around 400-450k per annum, compared to c350k at Turner Contemporary in Margate, 240k at Tate St Ives. The organisation completed an economic impact study in 2007, which illustrates the actual and potential impact for the town. We know that securing a town centre hotel, and improved rail links has the potential to retain additional high spending visitors. Improving the links between the town and the Pavilion’s economic eco-system is important to future growth.

The creative industries also contribute to other industries across the economy through software, design, branding and marketing of products and services; IT, software and computer services, the largest sub-sector of the creative industries, provides enabling technologies which are essential to almost all sectors of the economy, with technological innovation key to growth.

3 Our proximity to our neighbouring towns is important. Hastings and St Leonards, has seen rapid economic growth over the last five years, with culture and the creative industries being a catalyst for this change. Hastings has ambitious plans to use culture to rebrand from ‘costa- del-dole’ to an innovative and creative place to live. This is reinforced by the rebuilding of their pier, the Jerwood Gallery, the Source Skatepark, the Kino Cinema, and their cultural festival Root 1066 in October 2016. Eastbourne shows similar signs of growth with ambitions for the Devonshire Park area, and support of new technology companies. Bexhill sits in the middle of these developments, and is linked by the Coastal Cultural Trail between the three galleries.

Related initiatives

A £10k fund, as a result of the Town Team’s Portas bid in 2012, led to several significant initiatives which began with the opening of the weekly Bexhill Farmers’ Market - now in its third year of weekly trading; the remaining funds were used to purchase a mobile CCTV camera to support the neighbourhood policing team. The Town Team’s efforts were always directed to making the Town Centre accessible, safe and attractive as recommended in the Portas Review.

Rother District Council’s £100k commitment from s106 money to the Town Team’s initiatives has continued this work and facilitated projects including the refurbishment of the town centre’s public toilets, cycle racks throughout the town centre, replacement of lost trees, shopping and business guides for shoppers and visitors, and supporting the police in keeping the town centre a safe, family friendly place.

NCNR2 cycle track now connects Hastings with Eastbourne passing through Bexhill which is in-between but nearer to Hastings.

Coastal Communities Fund is active in Eastbourne and Hastings, with both schemes helping to promote the cultural trail. The Hastings funding has specifically supported the new pedestrian signage in Bexhill Town Centre, a project driven by the Town Team; and the cycle link between Hastings and Bexhill.

SELEP funding has facilitated the £100m+ Bexhill to Hastings Link Road and associated infrastructure. The Link Road, named Combe Valley Way, will bring an estimated £1 billion of economic benefits to the area and deliver up to 2,000 new homes and 3,000 new jobs.

Costing £120 million, including £56 million from the DfT – the road is expected to reduce congestion on the A259 by up to 40 per cent.

Glovers House, the new 25,000 sq ft business centre developed by Sea Change Sussex on land opened up by the Link Road, now has its first tenant, Park Holidays UK.

The road will host a new bus route linking Hastings and Bexhill with the new business park. The new ‘greenways’ for walkers, cyclists and horse riders is expected to be completed in

4 May this year 2016. The Coombe Valley Way Greenway, a walking and cycling route which runs through Coombe Valley Countryside Park from Hastings to Bexhill will be a fantastic countryside path allowing easy access to areas never before explored by many. The new employment and residential areas will have recreational and utility routes all the way from Hastings to Bexhill seafront once the Bexhill Cycle Network in complete.

There are three planned Heritage Lottery Fund projects: 1 East Parade - Heritage 2 Bexhill Museum, housing the archaeology unearthed by the building of the Link Road which involved a major programme of archaeological excavations by ESCC; 3 DLWP Audience Engagement and Public Realm to improve connectivity between the DLWP and the Town Centre.

The MP, Bexhill Rail Action Group, Chamber of Commerce, Town Team/Coastal Community Team are all lobbying for a high-speed rail link from Bexhill to London, and there is business lobbying for a budget hotel in the Town Centre.

East Sussex County Council commissioned Amey Consulting to undertake Bexhill Town Centre Traffic Management and Accessibility Improvements study to identify a range of measures to resolve identified traffic management and accessibility issues in a number of locations within Bexhill Town Centre.

East Sussex County Council commissioned Amey Consulting to undertake a study of Bexhill A269/B2182 Movement and Access Improvements: develop a package of measures to improve movement and access for all those using the A269/B2182 corridors, between the junction of the A269 and Beacon Hill, in Sidley, to the junction of the A269 London Road and Buckhurst Place, and the junction of the B2192 to De la Warr Parade on the seafront.

CCT Plan In 2012, Bexhill Town Team was established following the Portas Pilot Scheme Competition. We set out our aims and objectives in our Response2 to Rother District Council’s Strategy for Bexhill Town Centre3. This strategy was produced in culsultation with key stakeholders. Three years later some of the ambitions in the Response have been realised, in particular the short term aims. We are now ambitious to move on, and since 2014 have held regular meetings with District Councilors, the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses, and the MP’s Constituency Office. We have identified four immediate priorities that we are all committed to:  High speed train link (the journey to London now takes about double the time it took in world war 2)  Hotel in the town centre  Improvements to the public realm in the main streets in the town centre  Addressing the need for employability and entrepreneurship training for our young people.

5 All of these ambitions aim to support jobs in the leisure and tourism economy by increasing the number of visitors and improving their circulation from the seafront (to which visitors are attracted by the sea) into the town where there are food and drink, and retail businesses. Income from tourism is important for Bexhill, local incomes are low and unemployment/partial employment is high with JSA at 2.5% of working age population.4 The Socio-economic needs of the community To sustain and increase jobs; income from tourism is important for Bexhill, local incomes are low and unemployment/partial employment is high and there is also a high dependency rate. Our main tourist attraction is our seafront including the De La Warr Pavilion (dlwp) and our heritage. This priority falls squarely in line with Rother DC’s Strategy for Bexhill Town Centre, and the vision in the Portas bids.

This will build on improved signage recently installed in Bexhill paid for by the Coastal Communities Fund and based on the Town Team’s Signage Audit. It will also add value to the recently opened NCNR2 (cycle) track linking Bexhill to Hastings along the seafront. This builds on the Town Team’s recent initiative to encourage cycling by adding 25 new cycle racks in the Town Centre. The Town Team recently refurbished the dilapidated public toilets in the Town Centre.

Jobs. For every public sector job in E.Sussex there are two private sector jobs to pay for it6. In other areas we have looked at there are as many as five private sector jobs for every job in the public sector (e.g. Milton Keynes). As the public sector is forecast to decline, we need to be looking for other employment opportunities. We need to encourage businesses that are able to offer job opportunities.

Employability/Entrepreneurship Local further education opportunities are limited for those who have left school with few qualifications. These young people also have to travel for further education, which is a barrier for those on low incomes. Businesses search for young people with drive and ambition who are employable (i.e. they have skills); we want to ensure that our young people can find local provision that meets their needs.

Budget Hotel – to enable visitors to stay affordably and spend money in the Town Centre to raise incomes from tourism. Currently, there are approximately 160 beds in the Town Centre which according to the Chamber of Commerce are all taken every weekend. Over 200,000 of the De La Warr Pavilion’s visitors (50%) travel over 30 minutes drive and there is an opportunity to retain these visitors in the town for one or more nights.

Public Realm improvements – recent investments have focused on the sea front and in the park and on land owned by Rother District Council. The Town Centre is a more challenging landscape with fragmented ownership of buidings, but there is a need to make the Town Centre attractive otherwise all the visitors who come to the sea never venture from the sea front and do not spend anything in the town. Therefore there is an opportunity to improve connectivity and spend within the town centre itself.

6 Strengths and Challenges

Bexhill has a relatively unspoiled, but under- advertised, seafront and has many heritage treasures that are kept secret. Bexhill is a gold mine for historians and natural historians who would want to visit if only they knew there was something here to see. Bexhill Old Town, just to the north of the Town Centre, has a wealth of historic buildings (many are listed) and historic sites such as the concealed Barrack Hall Park which was the parade ground for King George IIIs King’s German Legion when it was stationed in Bexhill throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The KGL played an important part in the Battle of Waterloo (you could walk past this park and never see it - and most do).

Bexhill’s Town Centre shopping streets are mostly late Victorian/Edwardian with some beautiful buildings and interesting original shop fronts remaining. However, they are side by side with modern shop fronts some of which are unattractive (e.g. the old Job Centre building) and detract from the overall Victorian/Edwardian impact as do the forest of satellite dishes and dangling wires. The Town Centre is a Conservation Area.

There are opportunities in Bexhill for those who may invest in the hotel market. There is an unmet need for visitor beds in the Town Centre.

The imminent Jobs Fair is welcome and innovative in Bexhill. Schools and Colleges have received it well and we hope to make a statement that our young people matter to us.

Challenges:

Our young people have not had sufficient local education and training opportunities in recent years. We feel a lack of ambition and potential employers report a lack of entrpreneurship and ambition. A large local employer recently invested in offices elsewhere because of the difficulty in filling senior posts in Bexhill. We welcome the plans for a new educational resource for the further education sector which is planning to open this year.

A challenge to the economic development of the Town Centre is the lack of effective enforcement of car parking restrictions, this leaves a free-for-all. The new Bexhill to Hastings link road is open and relieving congestion between Bexhill and Hastings. Travel to London and Brighton is slow and can frequently be a challenge by train. In November 2015, the CCT began collecting evidence for a character assessment of the Town Centre streets. The initial findings are now published on www.bexhilltownteam.org We will continue to add data as we receive it.

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There is strong support in the assessment for cherishing the Victorian/Edwardian heritage of the Town Centre which sets it apart (and could be a unique selling point) from modern shopping centres. There is also strong support for improvements to the public realm to make the Town Centre more attractive. The many independent retailers and cafes are also valued. Poor pavement and road surfaces are noted along with the lack of greenery and water features.

The campaign for the high speed rail link, which would bring journey times to London back to longer than they were 75 years ago argues:

‘Bexhill-on-Sea … has suffered woefully from under investment in economic development and infrastructure. Despite some capital investment in a new link road and the sea front around the iconic De La Warr Pavilion the core problems of high unemployment, youth retention and attractiveness for business investment have not been addressed. With a population of 43,000 unemployment runs higher than the national average at 2.5% and the town’s economy is underperforming in key sectors such as retail, service and hospitality. It is the unanimous view of the local business community that the unacceptably slow rail journey times, particularly to the capital, are the principal reason for the lack of regenerative growth in the Bexhill area.

… But unappealing journey times, due to infrastructure constraints beyond the operators’ direct control of 2 hours (even more at peak times) - for 69 miles - to London termini, unreliable services, and haphazard connections at St. Leonards Warrior Square are an unattractive proposition for current and potential business users, and impact detrimentally on Bexhill’s visitor economy.’ 5

Rother DC undertook consultation6 in preparation for Bexhill Town Centre Strategy.

Delivering the Plan - Key projects  Rother District Council has vitalised the Bexhill Town Centre Steering Group with wider participation. It has begun working towards implementing the Actions in RDC’s Strategy for Bexhill Town Centre (June 2013) under the headings: Branding and Image; Investment/Development Opportunities; Built Environment; Traffic Management, Connectivity and Public Realm; Housing; Vitality. The group has identified project leads for each area.  Employability: The Coastal Community Team, Chamber of Commerce, FSB, MP are staging a jobs fair on April 29 at the iconic De La Warr Pavilion aimed at school leavers  All stakeholders are supporting the lobby for High Speed Train link to St Pancras.  DV8, will open an education centre in Bexhill Town Centre to prepare young people for work, education or training. DV8 will move into the building in February 2016  All stakeholders are supporting active discussions with investors regarding a new hotel. Short term actions and performance:

 Delivery of Jobs Fair achieving at least 30 businesses exhibiting and 200 delegates

8 attending – 29 April 2016. Stewart Drew and Martin Riley lead.  R&D on business incubation space. (Deliver report by June 2016) led by Stewart Drew  DV8 will relocate to the old Job Centre premises by February 2016  Continued development of the Cultural Trail between Hastings / Bexhill / Eastbourne. Deliver regional rail campaign by Summer 2016. This is being actively led by BRAG.  Complete the final phases of highway improvements along Marina to improve pedestrian flow and connectivity between the Town Centre and the seafront (aim to drive completion by autumn 2016)  Preparation of a Coastal Community Fund Application (draft strategy by April 2016) Stewart Drew leads.  Continue R&D of Bexhill Image / Vitality / Development of Summer Events building on the excellent work and progress that has been achieved over the last three years. Aim to initiate event(s) in June and August to complement the events in July and September. The first 1066 Cycle Festival will take place on Saturday June 11th in Bexhill around the De La Warr Pavilion and on Sunday June12th in Hastings. Encourage all sporting event organisers including Bexhill Lions Club, TL Sports, Bexhill Rowing Club, Bexhill Sailing Club, Bexhill Wheelers and Classic Cycle Group, HEM Events Ltd, Bexhill Carnival, M100 Club and others whose events raise the profile of Bexhill and encourage visitors. Work with events organisers to produce events that cover a weekend rather than one day to encourage overnight stays  Be active members of the Town Centre Steering Group and support the work of the sub committees (ongoing – in addition to local councillors, members of the CCT/TT, Chamber of Commerce and events organiser give their time voluntarily to this).  Work with BTCSG and ESCC to remove unsightly tree stump from Devonshire Road and replace the sapling which died this year. This will complete the tree planting scheme in the Town Centre. S.106 Funds were used to replace two missing trees last year and may be used with BTCSG approval for this project  Improve the local knowledge base and intelligence, and share this intelligence, for raising funds by bidding to various government/lottery funding agencies. In Dec the CCT, employing some of the initial £10K from dclg, organised one day of training from NCVO on writing successful bids. Eight organisations attended and the very next day one of them wrote a successful application for funds.

Our medium to long term goals:

ESCC commissioned Amey Consulting in 2014 to undertake Bexhill Town Centre Traffic Management and Accessibility Improvements study to identify a range of measures to resolve identified traffic management and accessibility issues in a number of locations within Bexhill Town Centre(aim to improve vehicle turnover in the town by 50% - 2018).

ESCC commissioned Amey Consulting to undertake a study of Bexhill A269/B2182 Movement and Access Improvements: develop a package of measures to improve movement and access for all those using the A269/B2182 corridors, between the junction of the A269 and Beacon Hill, in Sidley, to the junction of the A269 London Road and Buckhurst Place,

9 and the junction of the B2192 to De la Warr Parade on the seafront.

The outcome of the first of these studies will include Devonshire Square and when it reports, will need to be taken into consideration when planning improvements to the Square. However, providing weather protection in Devonshire Square is a commitment in RDC’s Strategy (June 2013) and a priority for the CCT. The CCT/TT has indicated to BTCSG that we want to utilise the remaining £50,000 of funds from the s.106 monies allocated to TT plans to lever the (match) funding required to finance the project.

Create opportunities for business incubation within the town; develop the link between education and employment. Aim to develop 10 new start up businesses in the Town Centre by 2019 potentially funded by an application to CCF.

Capitalise on Wetherspoon’s investment on Western Road to help promote and support surrounding businesses. Develop circulation and increase footfall with marketing and events – summer / Christmas 2017.

Maximise on potential investment into East Parade, helping to increase visitor stay duration. Aim to increase visitor retention by 10% - 2018.

Continue to lobby for Rail Improvements and aim for rail times of 70 mins to London by 2019.

Support the implementation of Bexhill Cycle Network. ESCC commissioned Amey to design a network of routes connecting residential areas to key destinations around Bexhill. This work started in 1999 and is even more important now as North East Bexhill develops over the next few years. They only way to reduce traffic with the resultant pollution and potential for congestion is to provide alternative sustainable transport. This scheme would help in achieving this if fully implemented.

Continue to support case for investment, particularly hotel development aim new 70 bed town centre hotel by 2019.

Support the development of new homes and business sites in North Bexhill.

Lobby for town centre based developments around planned rail and hotel developments.

Barriers

Economic climate – retain quality, value for money and distinctiveness in all areas to try and remain resilient to challenges with the economy. Encourage residents and businesses to take pride in the presentation of the Town Centre and encourage groups such as Bexhill Alliance Civic Pride Group. Partnership working is important to knowledge sharing and long term sustainability.

Rail and Hotel developments do not just happen. We need to remain resourceful and

10 strengthen relationships with neighbouring towns.

Attracting investment and funding; competition for funds locally and nationally.

Resources

Delivery of the plan is dependent on a strong network of community based organisations, working closely with Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council for projects directly in Bexhill and with Hastings Borough Council and Eastbourne Borough Council for wider connectivity, e.g. tourism and culture. These are detailed above.

Work so far has been largely funded by s106 money, as well as pro-active community led fundraising. There is also a commitment to share knowledge and resources, so that in some cases we can deliver high impact projects with little funding. The Jobs Fair is an example of this.

The Jobs Fair also demonstrates a flattening of hierarchies, where the MP and other professionals are working with community members. They hence learn from each other.

There is an opportunity to develop projects based on this plan to apply for funding from the Coastal Community Fund or similar funding streams. The Coastal Ccommunity Team has utilised some of its start up funds from DCLG for training to help with funding applications and again, this mixed with local expertise, helps to grow knowledge and Continued Professional Development. Of course this compliments the capital investment the Council has made to the seafront, museum & Egerton park and the investment by ESCC in highway improvements and the studies they are currently undertaking. Continued ESCC funding will be key to delivery on public realm items.

Costs Detail of costs of each element of plan. Delivery of the Jobs Fair. Cost £6k of which £3,000 from the CCT (from the dclg funds).

R&D into business incubation space. Preparation of a Coastal Community Fund Application to create opportunities for business incubation within the town; the link between education and employment. (£100k)

DV8 will relocate to Jobs Centre

Continued development of the Cultural Trail between Hastings / Bexhill / Eastbourne (£40k for 2 years).

Development of the Sackville Roundabout / gateway point (ESCC funded, Phase 3 Marina Highway Improvements)

R&D of Bexhill Image / Vitality / Development of Summer Events

11 Capitalise on Wetherspoon’s investment on Western Road to help promote and support surrounding businesses.

Maximise on potential investment into East Parade, helping to increase visitor stay duration. £20k potential LHF bid.

Continue to lobby for Rail Improvements.

Continue to support case for investment, particularly hotel development

Support the development of new homes and business sites in North Bexhill. Capitalise on the developer’s marketing to promote Bexhill.

Continue to lobby for Town Centre based developments based around planned rail and hotel developments.

Value  Jobs - decrease in unemployment and underemployment  Community cohesion which is achieved through the voluntary community activity which provides so many of the services and events in Bexhill  Increased overnight stays  Increased Town Centre spends

Funding Bexhill Town Team has approx £50,000 available to implement plans. We have proposed that RDC use the remaining funds to lever the funding required via sponsorship from the business community and other sources to pay for the public realm improvements to Devonshire Square.

A bid to the Coastal Community Fund is in preparation.

Three potential bids to Lottery Heritage Fund are in progress.

We are ambitious to acquire whatever funding is available. To improve the local knowledge base and intelligence, and share this intelligence, for raising funds by bidding to various government/lottery funding agencies; in Dec the CCT, employing some of the initial £10K from dclg, organised one day of training from NCVO on writing successful bids. Eight organisations attended (including an officer from Rother DC) and the very next day one of them wrote a successful application for funds.

Maximising resources and costs - See 20.

Communications Consultation Rother DC consulted widely in preparation of the Town Centre Strategy (June 2013). The CCT commenced a character assessment of the Town Centre. This is a work in progress

12 and will continue. (http://www.bexhilltownteam.org.uk/news/2/71/bexhill-forward/)

There has been comprehensive consultationon the East Parade Development Project.

Hotel development in Bexhill – In 2013 Rother District Council commissioned Hotel Solutions to produce an Accommodation Futures Study which looked at current and potential future demand and development potential for all serviced and self catering accommodation within Rother. Rother DC is the accountable body and is part of the CCT.

The team includes members who sit on Team East Sussex and South East Local Enterprise Partnership. We are also active partners with a range of regional local authorities including East Sussex County Council, Hastings BC, Eastbourne BC, Wealdon BC and DC.

We also work closely with Skills East Sussex, Bexhill College, Sussex Downs College, South Coast College and the University of Brighton.

We are close partners with Locate East Sussex. Communication with community The group is community led, and so there are a number of stakeholders and community interest parties involved in the conception of the plan. However the group actively consults and evalulates with the wider community. Our web site is www.bexhilltownteam We Tweet on @bexhilltownteam Our guides are available on http://www.visit1066Country.com http://www.bexhilltownteam.org.uk/visit/8/45/town-centre-guides/ Our plan will be available on our web site, and on RDC and the Chamber of Commerce web sites. We frequently attend Bexhill Town Forum (quarterly public meetings) and exhibit our activities there. One of the CTT is the Secretary of the local Federation of Townswomens’ Guilds and we share information with them – in both directions.

CCT Logistics The Team The team will meet four times a year, and in addition members sit on the Town Centre Steering Group, a stakeholder group chaired by Rother District Council that reports directly to Cabinet.

Members of the team include Local retailers and estate agents; Bexhill Chamber of Commerce; 1066 Federation of Small Businesses; Rother Voluntary Action; the Towns Womens’ Guild; our MP; Head of Regeneration at RDC; Local Neighbourhood PC; Director of the De La Warr Pavilion; Bexhill Lions Club; the local District Councillor; RDC lead Cabinet member for Bexhill.

Network of support built to enable CCT to deliver the economic plan Full support from:

13 Rother District Council Bexhill College Team East Sussex board member Locate East Sussex Skills East Sussex East Sussex County Council Costs

Members of the CCT give their considerable time voluntarily. TT/CCT meeting places have been provided for free. We have small running costs which are essentially for stationery/communications which have been met from funds provided by dclg. The TT/CCT web site was built for free by Global Prospect, a local IT company, and it is maintained voluntarily by the chair of the TT. The TT worked with RDC and Rother Voluntary Action in 2014 to raise funds for an ‘Our Place’ project led by RVA. This essentially funded a community information hub and TT ‘base’ for 18 months. We will bid for any funds that become available for projects that are in line with our aims. Rother District Council or Rother Voluntary Action have both acted as accountable body in respect of external funding for the delivery of projects. Sustainability

We intend to continue to provide the mechanism whereby local businesses, District Council Councillors and Officers, voluntary groups and residents can collectively and pro-actively support the local authorities and the business sector in delivering investment into Bexhill Town Centre and continue the noticeable impact made by the TT since the Portas competition. Areas of Specific Interest Culture Tourism Transport Heritage Marketing 1 References http://www.bexhilltownteam.org.uk/regular-happenings-in- bexhill/6/61/clubs-and-society-contacts/ 2 http://www.bexhilltownteam.org.uk/core/docs/bextt-2-25-town-team-response-to- con.pdf 3 RDC Strategy for Bexhill Town Centre and related documents http://www.rother.gov.uk/article/8023/Town-Centre-Strategy 4 ESIF (East Sussex in Figures) 5 BRAG/Chamber of Commerce 6 See 3 above

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