The development plan for the Observer Building, right, will impinge on neighbouring Rock House.

Concerns aired about Observer Building plan

Concerns about the proposed development of the Observer Building in central Hastings were aired at a public meeting on Monday, with former local councillor Godfrey Daniel providing advice on how objections should be framed. The period for submitting comments has been extended to 9 September. Nick Terdre listened in.

The meeting was called by Lorna Lloyd – it was held at the Printworks which she runs – and councillor Lee Clark, who unfortunately was not present. Lorna opened proceedings by pointing out that the new scheme, which proposes adding two and a half storeys, is only 0.8 metres lower than the original plan with five additional storeys.

The original plan, which centred on providing much-needed student accommodation, was withdrawn in the light of the University of Brighton’s “review of its operations in Hastings,” as the planning statement puts it. Instead the developer, Jeff Kirby of All Living Things, formerly the Flint Group, now proposes 49 “stylish loft apartments” plus a private roof garden, on the extra two and a half storeys mentioned above, and a shop, restaurant, gym and spaces for community and artistic activities on the lower floors.

Some developments get critics frothing at the mouth, but although all those who spoke – there were about 25-30 present – had concerns, the meeting was held in a good spirit with plenty of constructive discussion.

What goes around comes around, and the Observer Building – let’s call it OB for convenience – has been circling around the fringes of development for years now, as a succession of owners has sought unsuccessfully to put together a viable project to get the pigeons evicted and the building brought back into use.

So quite a lot of attention was focused on Jeff Kirby, who after taking over the running of the building last year mustered lots of brownie points by making it available for community use – suddenly it was a hive of activity, with films, meetings, markets and a whole variety of events.

But as Jess Steele of Jericho Road reminded the meeting, Jeff’s reputation in the community has nose-dived – after running up £20,000 in unpaid rents and utility bills for his office in Rock House next door he finally got himself evicted two weeks ago. And others who have provided services to the OB have also reported lack of payment and other forms of unacceptable behaviour on his part.

The OB development – or “resurrection,” as one of the design documents calls it – would seriously disadvantage plans for Rock House, Jess said. This is another previously dilapidated building which the new owners, Jericho Road, the White Rock Trust and community interest company Meanwhile Space, brought into community use this year, with work spaces for creative enterprises and local entrepreneurs and a couple of floors of affordable housing. The long-term plan is to build a further one or two floors of affordable housing, but this won’t be possible if the OB scheme goes ahead, as its extra floors will have windows looking out over the roof of Rock House, thereby making it impossible to extend the latter’s height.

And hopes of developing the alley behind Rock House into a social space – a smart exit into the alley was installed as part of the refurbishment – would also be dashed as the OB plan is to use it for car parking.

Some discussion ensued about who the actual OB owner is. Although Jeff Kirby has presented himself as such (for example, in the planning statement he says that “The Flint Group has recently acquired the building…”), an entry in the Land Registry tracked down by Jess Steele shows it to be Basement Endeavours.

Little is known about Basement Endeavours, except that the man behind it, but who has no formal connection with it, is one Richard Upton, who was responsible for introducing Jeff Kirby to Hastings. It may be that, if planning permission were granted, Basement Endeavours would then want to sell it on at a profit.

Anyway, as Godfrey Daniel, former local councillor and erstwhile chair of the planning committee, pointed out, the ownership is irrelevant – anyone can file a planning application for any property. He also made it clear that whether Jeff Kirby is insolvent, as some at the meeting supposed, or not, this was again not a matter for planners to concern themselves with. The fee of £19,250 for handling the application has been paid, which is all that matters.

Godfrey Daniel also offered advice on what comments and objections should focus on if they are not to be filtered out by the planning department. Design is important, especially as the building is located in the town centre conservation area – is the design of a sufficient standard to enhance the area?

Car parking is also relevant (and appears to have been a stumbling block in previous development schemes). The handful of parking spaces in the rear alley is all that the plan offers, and substantial inconvenience to other users of the alley, such as Rock House and the Printworks. Over-development – trying to cram too many things into the development – could also be a relevant point of objection.

Several people made the point that whatever drawbacks they might see in the current scheme, they are very keen for the OB to be redeveloped and made into a living building again. It doesn’t have to be a private company that leads the way, Jess Steele said – there is also the possibility of compulsory purchase. This would require a compelling case in the public interest and a plausible plan for an alternative. For the council to consider seeking a compulsory purchase order, there would have to be a recipient organisation ready to take on the property straight away, as Hastings Pier Charity did in the case of the pier, she says.

Meanwhile the period for lodging comments has been extended to Friday 9 September, as confirmed by case officer Sam Batchelor. This appears to make it even less likely that the application will come before the planning committee on Wednesday 21 September. The next opportunity will be Wednesday 19 October. Comments can be submitted here and the application, HS/FA/16/00367, can be seen here.

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