Bexhill Town CentrePlanning Framework

David Marlow

for Bexhill Town Centre Steering Group

2nd November 2010

The Conservation Area - Designated in 1992, re-designated in 2003

Reasons for designation

Legal definition:

• ‘an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’

• Well-defined late Victorian/early Edwardian character

• Distinct sense of place – the commercial core of the town

Important features:

• Hierarchy of roads defined by width and building heights, with Devonshire Road as the principal shopping street

• Continuous building frontages, with ground floor commercial uses on shopping streets

• Prestigious buildings along the seafront - DWLP is the focal point

• Coherent appearance from narrow plot widths, shared architectural styles and limited range of materials

Implications of designation

• Special attention should be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing its character and appearance

• Obligation to manage change sensitively, not prevent it

• Key issues: Shopfronts and quality of the public realm

- HERS shopfronts improvements

- Shopfronts design Guidance

- Streetscape works

Shopfronts

Street furniture, lighting and signage

Planning Policy - Local Plan defines the ‘town centre’

Key planning policies

• Develop the town’s shopping and service centre functions, promoting town centre regeneration in a way that reflects its unique character and cultural assets (Policy BX1)

• Focus shopping and related commercial development in the defined town centre (Policies BX5, EM13)

• Maintain significant shopping floorspace (Policy EM13)

• Promote comprehensive development in the area of the Sainsburys site, linking to Western Road (Policy BX6)

Emerging LDF Core Strategy

Town Context• Aim: To strengthen the identity of Bexhill and for it to become one of the

most attractive places to live on the south coast, attractive to families, the young and elderly alike, within an integrated approach to securing a more prosperous future for the Bexhill and Hastings area.

Town Centre policy direction:• Dual role as commercial and civic centre• Increased shopping floorspace, mainly to north of railway• Effective traffic management • Cultural activities and marketing

Going forward …

• The Conservation Area represents the historic, cultural strengths of the town centre and provides a valuable framework for considering changes

• There is ongoing work on the strategy for Bexhill that needs to dovetail with the work of this Group

• The Town Centre Working Group has the opportunity to set the direction for the town centre in the LDF Core Strategy