The sale of the former Ore Valley power station site to Gemselect has finally been concluded two years after it was announced. The Battle-based developer plans to build some 75 homes on the site, while reserving six plots for the Heart of Hastings community group. Former owner Sea Space says it will reinvest the proceeds in local regeneration. Nick Terdre reports.
In advance of the full council meeting on Tuesday 7 December, East Sussex County Council (ESCC) will be lobbied by not one, but two divestment campaigns. ‘Divest East Sussex’ have been holding monthly protests highlighting the Council’s investments in fossil fuels to support their pension scheme. Next Tuesday, the local Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) will also be outside County Hall to ask ESCC to divest from what they say are war crimes. PSC’s Laurie Holden tells us more about the campaign.
Sea Change Sussex’s plans for the North Queensway Innovation Park suffered a serious setback last week when the South East Local Enterprise Partnership withdrew its £3.5m grant offer. A firm start date for the Queensway Gateway Road is still unavailable but work on the Bexhill Enterprise Park North has resumed following the release of funds. Nick Terdre reports.
Retrospective planning application HS/FA/20/00884 was refused by the Planning Committee in April, against officers’ advice. Seven months on it came back, rebadged as HS/FA/21/00712. The differences were truly trivial. As before, the officers recommended approval. How did the Committee respond? Bernard McGinley reports.
The recent rise in energy costs, part of a significant increase in the cost of living, puts many lower-income families, in Hastings as elsewhere, at serious risk of not being able to heat their homes this winter. The severe squeeze is worrying local energy consultants Energise Sussex Coast, but there are still some sources of help they can offer to hard-pressed residents. Nick Terdre reports.
The population of Hastings has added its voice to the international marches appealing to our governments to act to stop climate change. Recent actions include a march through town, a protest at County Hall in Lewes and a call for Barclays Bank to stop funding fossil fuels. HOT’s Erica Smith catches up with the campaigners who are demanding an end to hot air.
James Burton’s original seafront church was destroyed by a doodlebug in July 1944. A replacement was designed by the well regarded Gilbert Scott brothers and finished in 1961. The later church is now in geological trouble and was closed by the Church of England a few years ago. It is an exceptional building (Grade II listed) that should not be lost. A recent meeting addressed ways of saving it. Bernard McGinley reports and took the photos.
Following the Climate Change Report to Cabinet on 4 October, Extinction Rebellion Hastings and St Leonards (XRHSL) took to the streets on the day of the last council meeting, 13 October, to demand the council accelerate active measures to combat the climate crisis.
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