Protesters brave the elements at the old Bathing Pool site in West St Leonards.

Message to Council: ‘No luxury housing on bathing pool site’

In wintry conditions, people turned out last weekend to send an important message about a rare seaside site. Bernard McGinley, camera in hand, was there in West St Leonards too. 

Early on the wet overcast morning of Saturday 23 November, many residents of St Leonards and Hastings, and beyond, arrived to demonstrate their strong feelings about the future of the old Bathing Pool site and express their opposition to Council plans.

Cllr Lee (centre) talking to Cllr Batsford (the latter’s position by the placard is purely coincidental).

Hastings Borough Councillors Andy Patmore, Andy Batsford and  Rob Lee were there. So too were parliamentary candidates Nick Perry and Sally-Ann Hart, half of the local election slate.

The issue was and is the future development of the old bathing pool site, previously reported on here.  Opposition to luxury housing or second homes or Airbnbs was marked. Twin campaigns are being run by SOBS (Save Our Bathing Site) and the West Marina group, which is developing a local Neighbourhood Plan for adoption by the Council. The text of the West Marina letter to election candidates, see here, included:

Instead of a housing estate, let there be a swimming pool, flower gardens, a sculpture park, an iconic building or other such amenity that will give pleasure and inspire, and help with the much needed regeneration of the town.

Petition

There is also a West Marina petition proposing that the site be used for a new bathing pool in place of the Summerfields (Lower Bohemia) one.

The deal between the Council and the developers (County Gate/Sunley) remains unsigned.  Meetings to finalise the paperwork are continuing, and it is hoped to complete ‘before Christmas’.  Within the Council there will then be a review process, ‘which may result in further negotiation or clarifications’.

The local elections are looming in May, and the BP controversy appears to be growing.

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