Four-star hotel plan gathers pace

The hotel, together with enhanced artistic, business and conference facilites at the pavilion, is the answer to reviving the economic vitality of the town centre, say regeneration bosses.

It could be developed from existing properties around the Sackville Road roundabout or possibly built from scratch on the putting green - as was originally planned by the pavilion's architects Erich Mendelsohn and Serge Chermayeff in the 1930s.

It's hoped the hotel's custom will be made up of business delegates attending conferences at the De La Warr in the week and tourists at the weekend.

The hotel plan would go hand in hand with the current 6m revamp of the pavilion, which is designed to make better use of facilities such as the bar, restaurant and auditorium as well as create more gallery space.

Hastings and Bexhill Task Force director John Shaw spelled out three regeneration options for Bexhill at the De La Warr on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the launch of Shifting Sands, a report by English Heritage and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) about how strong modern design is improving the image of beleaguered seaside towns.

He said Bexhill town centre needs to create a 'seven-day' purpose, introduce a business dimension and find development opportunities.

The three options are:

* Retain the status quo and continue with piecemeal improvements

* Start from scratch and create a 'New Icon' to attract visitors into the town

* Develop our existing attributes - the seafront and a new hotel near the De La Warr

Mr Shaw said the first option would offer little scope for change, ignore the seafront and fail to provide a long-term solution to economic problems.

The great folly of the last decade, the Millennium Dome, was used to highlight the New Icon option. Mr Shaw said even if we had space for something like the Dome in Bexhill, it would be an unproven quantity, dilute investment and ignore public investment.

Mr Shaw said the De La Warr hotel option was the obvious choice, insisting it would build on an established icon, provide a new purpose for the De La Warr, make a feature of the coastline and create jobs.

Any plans for a new building in the vicinity of the De La Warr would provide an exciting architectural challenge and provide another flagship property for the town, added Mr Shaw.

The De La Warr was one of 14 examples of superb seaside modern architecture flagged up in the Shifting Sands report.

It says the De La Warr was originally created for regeneration purposes to turn Bexhill into a seaside resort. It now finds itself being once again the focus of revival in the town.

The task force is charged with spending 38mm of government money on improving Hastings and Bexhill and attracting more private investment into the area.