Refurbishment plans submitted for buildings in centre of Hastings

In an application to Hastings Borough Council, developer Jericho Road Solutions are seeking planning permission to create a workshop by refurbishing a building known as Rose Cottage in The Alley – the area behind The Observer Building in Claremont.

Originally a stables, applicants say the refurbishment of Rose Cottage would aim to keep as much of the building’s historic character as possible, with like-for-like repairs and the use of matching materials on new its features.

In a separate application, the same developers are also seeking permission to renovate 10 Claremont,  a vacant shopfront with a courtyard which backs on to The Alley directly behind Rose Cottage.

The courtyard would be cleared and turned into a seating area secured with a bespoke metal gate. It would be accessible from both The Alley and Claremont.

Put together, the proposals form part of the Hastings Commons project, a community-led scheme intended to regenerate the area surrounding Rock House and The Observer Building.

In a heritage statement, a spokesman for the developer said: “The process of enhancing use of The Alley has already begun at the Printworks and Home Ground Kitchen at the base of Rock House, both with customer entrances directly from The Alley. 

“The proposed works to Rose Cottage will not impact the building footprint retaining the existing massing and scale of the building with only a few carefully selected interventions to the fenestration only. 

“The proposal aims to restore The Alley as a previously under-utilised part of Hastings, whilst retaining the light-industrial appearance of the Alley. This will therefore have a positive impact on the Heritage Asset.”

Both applications involve a change of use for the existing buildings, from storage to industrial for Rose Cottage and from a private car hire to an A1 retail use for 10 Claremont. 

The rest of the area around Rose Cottage includes a set of five sandstone caves, an old brick vault, as well as a number of largely disused courtyards.

For further information on the Rose Cottage proposals, see planning application HS/FA/21/00282 on the Hastings Borough Council website. For 10 Claremont, see application HS/FA/21/00281.