An empty clothes store is being turned into a community hub after the council bought it.
Rother District Council purchased the former Edinburgh Woollen Mill on Devonshire Road, Bexhill, in 2024 using money awarded by the then Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The council is now working with Rother Voluntary Action (RVA) to turn the idea into a reality, through this Levelling Up grant, to renovate the building for the benefit of voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
Cllr Christine Bayliss, Rother District Council’s portfolio holder for regeneration and economic development, who has driven the project said: “I am so excited to see the plans for the Bexhill community hub moving forward. This is a real win-win for the town, helping our residents to access key services in a central place and contributing to the regeneration of Devonshire Road.
“We are looking forward to working in partnership with RVA on this and all its other work to support our voluntary, community groups and social enterprises in Rother and the fantastic work they do.”
The new hub will make access to essential services and support much more accessible for all the residents of Bexhill and wider Rother. It will also be used as a co-working space with the voluntary and community partners such as Citizens Advice 1066.
Kim Richards, RVA Chief Executive said: “We are thrilled to receive this funding to help support the groups we work with. We are really looking forward to working with the hub partners to develop a valuable and useful new resource for Rother voluntary sector. This is great news for everyone in Rother and the wider community.”
Residents and community groups will have opportunities to engage with RVA to help shape what they want to see in the hub, through workshops and events to be held later this year. Details for these will be shared on RVA’s social media and www.rva.uk.com.
The creation of the hub has been a partnership between RDC and RVA with other partners and came out of the Anti-Poverty Strategy. There is a lot of work still to do, but over the next year, residents and visitors to the town will be able to see its progress.
