An application is being been made, Bay Life understands to turn the Beach Tavern, at the heart of Pevensey Bay, in a key economic location into flats.—Bay Life, 19 January 2017
Talking to a spokesman from Foss Holdings, owners of the property today (19 January) a clear case was put that the viability of the property as an economic set of units, flats above and shops below, had been considered, but that the feedback they had received about the possibilities had made them question the viability of such a scheme.
A spokesman commented ,” I can assure you that we have looked at these possibilities”.
From a community point of view, both businesses and residents may react to the closure of yet another key business location with dismay and resignation, but rightly perhaps, as the spokesman from Foss Holdings indicated, with number of other public houses in the area, they did not see the case for the continuation of the property as a public house.
“Put it this way”, the spokesman said, “if it was going to work as a public house it would have worked before”.
The public house over the years has seen a number of attempts to restore the fortunes of the venue with tribute acts and live events, but without question, as the spokesman indicated, there has been a marked decline in the fortunes of the location as a public house.
The news is likely to be greeted with concern by community groups in the local area, which rely on the support of local businesses and meeting places to support and host their activities.
It is unclear what the reaction of local residents will be, although given the fact that one possible consideration in the past has been for the site to be turned into a supermarket multiple of some description. there may well be a sigh of relief that this will now not happen.
Pevensey Bay is very well served already by the 1066 store which has recently been expanded.
With work having gone into the campaign to see the fortunes of the local library restored, and an attempt made to nominate the Beach Tavern property as ‘an asset of community value’, it remains to be seen if local opposition grows with the plans to turn the property into flats.
The spokesman gave an assurance that the property would be cleared at the front of the building, as local people have begun to argue, perhaps quite rightly, that the property frontage is becoming something of an overgrown eyesore.
Quite rightly as well perhaps, the owners made the decision not to clear the frontage of overgrowth late last year, given the closure of the road to traffic with the SGN roadworks scheme before Chrstmas taking centre stage in the concerns of the community.
The spokesman gave an assurance to Bay Life that the area at the frontage would be cleared as soon as is practicable and that the work is likely to be done in the near future.
It remains to be seen whether there will be a campaign to see the building remain as an location as part of the economic fabric of the community.
Pevensey Parish Council is yet to comment on the news with a view from new chairman, Daniel Brookbank on behalf of the Council.
The spokesman for the company in his response to the situation, particularly with regard to questions about the economic viability of the situation was given credit today.
One local community activist commented, “at least they thought about the situation here before they made the decisions and considered all the possibilities, more than some bloody developers do, in fact most of them”.
Initial reaction as the news broke on local social media was less than positive. A comment, “they should have made this the library in the first place where the library is now is ridiculous still the people in suits will come up with something that nobody wants”, seemed representative of one section of the community.
A number of questions were asked about the building, including the look and character of the building. with a long term resident asking “Such a pretty building. Might they at least leave the outside looking the same do you think?”
Four residents expressed their anger about the outcome of the situation.
Inside the business community there was not an expression of surprise. One key figure told Bay Life this afternoon “there is not the business here, it is as simple as that, this is no surprise”.
Will the application to turn the Beach Tavern into flats see the end of the long saga of interest in the future of the building?
Bay Life hopes to be in a position to publish further information being provided by Foss Holdings about their plans later today (January 19).
. . .
UPDATE 20 JANUARY—
BEACH TAVERN PROPOSALS
— Comments come in to Bay Life about the proposal to turn the Beach Tavern public house into flats
. . .
The issue is also to be given full coverage with a page of letters from residents in The Bay Life Journal, our broadsheet newspaper published later this month
. . .
The news about the the Beach Tavern and the application made to turn the property into flats will have an impact.
The impact will not just be on the sight that greets residents and visitors to the Bay every day and the familiarity and character of the building that is one of the cornerstones of the village, the feeling perhaps will be subliminal.
The shops and services in Pevensey Bay that people see as they walk towards the cafes in the village is a proud part of the look and feel of the place and the individual sense of the special place that is part of the ‘hidden jewels of the crown of Sussex’.
The decision to turn the public house into flats will have a possible impact on any business that is considering location here, any special restaurant or service that may see a fit for the profile of their service.
We lost the bank and at that point, it is reasonable to argue that any business locating here would have thought twice about what future Pevensey Bay was facing.
We nearly lost the post office.
It took campaigners nearly two years to fight to see that the restoration of the library remained on the top of the Council agenda for this corner of the county with their legal duty to provide a public services. Everyone knows the outcome, the campaigners and County Council did us proud, but the fight continues to see that the service will remain.
All small rural communities are facing the possibility of extinction in some way as they become commuter belts serving large supermarkets with people working elsewhere.
Without a mix of shops and services as well as residents, the kind of glue that holds these small communities together, comes apart.
No public services, shops, means no community.
Pevensey Bay at this stage is by no means in that situation, but nonetheless the news about the Beach Tavern is to become flats has resonated across the community today in ways that have made people think and comment about the future of the place that they love.
Small coastal communities in particular, face huge questions about their future as the patterns of visitor and holidaymaker change. They have to re-invent themselves for a new era, and some of these coastal communities are re-inventing themselves and some are dying on their feet.
This will not happen to Pevensey Bay when the nostalgia for the place is written down the stick of rock that stands as testament to the value of the place. There is a totem of affection for Pevensey Bay that links at least three, possibly four, generations together. Nonetheless the news has sent a small shockwave through the community.
Like dominoes, if we lose the business locations in the village, particularly those with character, then to a certain extent we all fall down.
Put it this way, as an observer said to Bay Life “people do not come to Pevensey Bay to see flats”.
Last word of the day is perhaps best left to a social media commentator who placed this comment late on our social media feed about the big news of the day.
“What ever happens I doubt it will please everyone and whatever is planned will go ahead with or without the backing of the local community. It would have made a great library with community space for mums and baby groups and alike hay ho….”
As a small fragile coastal community searching for the lifeboat of business and service to hold us together is launched again there is a foreboding thought for the future but also an understanding and hope that whatever happens next will be of value to our future.
We will not now be joined by a unit of 2 or 3 new small shops, a speciality restaurant offering Thai or Italian food or a new destination public house that could have made us all proud, to join our other special offerings.
The application to turn the Beach Tavern into flats seems likely to provoke further comment, but as the spokesman for the new owners pointed out, there is good reason for them to have made the decision they have made about the future of the location.
Simon Montgomery
Editor, Bay Life
IMAGE ARTWORK: Jan Barron
