Bexhill Town Profile - Rother District Council

6.25 In relation to comparison goods shopping floorspace, there is, qualitatively,
some room to improve its retail offer and trading performance, and
recapture trade some market share from surrounding competing centres
(predominately Hastings and Eastbourne - but also Ravenside Retail Park
for certain goods).
6.26 The Shopping Assessment concluded that the Council should plan to
improve the comparison shopping market share of Bexhill town centre. It
considered that there is potential for 6,315 s qm gross (4,355 s qm sales)
additional comparison goods floorspace in 2016, increasing to 15,702sqm
(10,829 s qm sales) in 2026 (Please to Rother District Wide Shopping
Assessment - Table 7.5).
6.27 As for convenience goods, the opportunities for expanding comparison
shopping provision within Bexhill town centre are limited due to its
constrained nature. However, smaller scale expansion may be achieved via
selective redevelopment and infill development within and around the town
centre, including as part of any redevelopment in the area identified above
or a potentially linked redevelopment of properties to the south of the
railway along Western Road.
6.28 The good range of services also contributes to the attractiveness of the
centre; hence, encouragement should be given to maintain and improve the
range and quality of key services, as well as of cafes, pubs, bars and
restaurants that can also develop the town’s evening economy.
6.29 Bexhill also has a number of hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfast
facilities, a number of which are around the town centre. A study of hotel
potentials undertaken for the Council has identified the possibility a boutique
hotel with a good food offer, and prime seafront location and possibly spa
and leisure facilities. Although national boutique hotel companies are
unlikely to be interested in such a proposition, a local entrepreneur might be
interested, possibly as part of a mixed use scheme, given a prime seafront
location and a favourable land deal. It also recognised the potential for a
budget hotel.
Accessibility
6.30 Access to the town centre is identified as an issue in respect of both ease of
access and convenience of movement around the centre. Car parking is a
specific aspect of ease of access.
6.31 Being located close to the sea, the town centre has the natural
disadvantage of only a 180 degree catchment. This is compounded by the
fact that the main core of the town centre is on the relatively narrow
seaward side of the main South Coast railway, which means that vehicles
from inland parts of the town are limited to the crossings at Sea Road to the
east and Sackville Road to the west.
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