IMAGE CREDIT: Hayley and Ashley Dawson, AD Signs
News that there are greenshoots of a business quarter beginning to appear in Pevensey Bay, has reached Bay Life as a company that has been lobbying to find premises reports that they have signed a lease for their operations here in the heart of the village.—Bay Life, 6 October 2017
Greenshoots as business quarter in Pevensey Bay begins to emerge
Bay Life understands that a new feature in the economic and social landscape of Pevensey is being mooted, given a kickstart with the signing of a lease by a local company.
The small scattering of business locations behind the Beach Tavern site, here in the heart of Pevensey Bay, may be a prime spot to support small growth with business startups. Already it would seem, the potential opportunities for a business quarter appear to be under consideration.
We understand that a further plan to convert a nunber of garages into business units is also being mooted and that an application to Wealden Council for the conversions is underway.
The prospect of Pevenesy Bay having a small business quarter in the heart of the community, presents an interesting possibiity to the delicate economic and social fabric of the village.
Without question, small coastal communities across the country are beginning to atttact attention with regard to grants and seedcorn funding from various sources.
On 1 September a £500m regeneration plan for Hastings was unveiled. The Hastings Harbour Quarter project aims to transform the town while preserving and enhancing the town’s maritime heritage.
In this climate of regeneration, there are major developments either side of Pevensey Bay.
The Sovereign Harbour Innovation Park being developed by Sea Change Sussex on a 5.5 acre site up the road.
On 2 February it was announced that 1,000 new jobs are to be created by £13.2 million funding boost. The multi-million pound boost is from central Government.
The funding is expected to result in an extra £13 million of private sector investment.
The scheme will include new developments at Sovereign Harbour business park.
County council leader Keith Glazier said at the time: “This is fantastic news for the county and will allow us to generate a significant number of new jobs and provide a welcome boost to our economy.
“The funding will allow us to provide bespoke, state-of-the-art new employment space in key growth areas, allowing us to meet the ambitions of companies looking to expand or relocate.”
Councillor David Tutt, leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said: “This is welcome news and testament to the regional significance and importance of the Devonshire Quarter transformation which is well under way.
“This project will put Eastbourne on the map as a top cultural, sporting and conferencing destination and is crucial to our long-term prosperity while offering first class facilities for residents and visitors alike.”
What appears to have been ignored is that Pevensey Bay, some 1.5 miles from all this development, does not get a mention.
Whilst the dividing line between constituencies is located at the Pevensey Bay roundabout calls for regeneration, it would appear have fallen on deaf ears.
Only a cynic would point out that both constituencies (Hastings and Eastbourne) are marginal and that Huw Merriman (the MP for Pevensey) is in a safe seat so Pevensey Bay does not matter.
The feasibility study for 12 beach huts here to be positioned on the seafront at the Sea Road car park is also now beginning to receive positive feedback.
The feasibility study, by Steve Wagner, on behalf of Wealden Council, was published exclusively in the last edition of the Bay Journal.
Ashley Dawson, co-owner, along with wife, Hayley, of the indigenous AD Signs business supplies signage needs to a number of the businesses in Pevensey Bay, such as the 1066 store and the Aqua Bar.
He told Bay Life the Journal, “somewhat ironic that we have a successful signage company and we can not find in Pevensey Bay a suitable small shop front we desperately need, because there appears to be no interest with regard to the local authorities seeing that the infrastructure of the business community here is supported.”
“Millions being spent down the road on business, this side of Sovereign Harbour, 10 new beach huts for Pevensey Bay, which will be fabulous for the profile of the Bay, and big developments are under consideration here. Not a word about supporting the business infrastructure here that is so obviously and desperately needed, you could not make it up really could you?
“Not a single penny being spent to support the business infrastructure here, so we have ended up commuting to Bexhill, so what exactly is all that about then?”
Hayley, who deals with customer communications for the company told Bay Life in August, “took over one hour to get to work this morning in Bexhill, it will be bad now for the six weeks whilst children are on school holidays. We need our shopfront in Pevensey Bay desperately”.
AD Signs might even be able to help with some signage that points people towards the business quarter in Pevensey Bay, might they not?
Bay Life argues that such development would be both positive and a much needed injection of hope to businesses that live and work here, to residents and to visitors, and perhaps, most importantly, to small businesses either looking for a start up unit or seeking to relocate.
Small service based additions to the business fabric of Pevensey Bay and a kind of ‘cluster effect’ beginning to emerge in the place they call the ‘hidden jewel in the crown of Sussex’, may well be widely welcomed.
A name for the business quarter in Pevensey Bay might also emerge. Bay Life argues that whatever the name , something with the word twitten in the title might be just the ticket.
On signing the lease for the office (2 October), Hayley, on behalf of AD Signs, said “the big day has arrived….. new beginnings to come….thank you to everyone for your support during our move.”
Ashley added “it will be interesting to see if any other businesses follow what we are doing”.
AD SIGNS
Unit 1 Bay Works
BN24 6EG Marine Road
Pevensey Bay
07710198402
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