Leaders at Rother District Council have affirmed they will not move forward with plans to revamp their main offices at this stage.
The cabinet met on Monday to review a study outlining possible approaches to redeveloping Bexhill Town Hall.
The analysis came after an earlier resolution in 2023, when councillors approved allocating £45,000 to examine whether temporary facilities could be constructed on the premises.
Joe Powell, who oversees housing and strategic assets for the authority, informed members that various scenarios were evaluated but staff concluded that maintaining the status quo was the most appropriate course of action.
Powell stated that given the uncertainty surrounding Local Government Reorganisation and the building’s inadequate performance as a civic facility, which would likely remain under any future scenario, proceeding beyond the current recommendation would have been inadvisable.
The location also contains properties at 1 and 2 The Villas, the former Autolec workshops, a chargeable parking area and the authority’s administrative offices on Amherst Road.
The study presented to cabinet explained that every redevelopment proposal under consideration involved transforming The Villas into housing.
However, members learned that the council has recently started renting out The Villas under a commercial tenancy, meaning any redevelopment would sacrifice this revenue. Councillors were told this had only become viable after renovations to make the property suitable for occupation.
Councillor Teresa Killeen commented that while the recommendation was to take no action, this characterisation was somewhat misleading since the buildings were actually generating income, thereby making a beneficial contribution to the council’s finances at present.
The study cited additional considerations for the decision, including ambiguity over whether the site would even be required once Local Government Reorganisation is implemented, which will see Rother District Council and other local authorities in the county merged into a single unitary authority.
Staff also noted that proceeding with direct development of the land would present significant financial difficulties, unless the purpose involved creating temporary accommodation, as this would generate direct savings for the council.
When the matter was reviewed previously, the feasibility assessment had originally been presented as an element of the Town Hall Renaissance Project, which encompassed renovating the existing town hall while also proposing flats and new office buildings across the broader site.
That scheme was rejected planning permission in October 2022 and will not be proceeding.