Draft Policy EC7 promotes a vital and viable town centre in Bexhill. New floorspsace, to met identified needs, is promoted in accordance with the sequential approach to site selection, and subject to assessing the impact on the town centre of potential harmful developments. Paragraph 16.43 states that edge of centre locations are preferable to out of centre sites, such as Ravenside Retail Park, which accords with Goverment guidance and is supported.

Our clients own commerical land in Beeching Road which is now of poor quality for industrial purposes. They considered that it can be brought forward for redevelopment to meet the needs of convenience retail development identified at BX2 (iii) and paragraph 8.38. Subject to there being no suitable, viable and available sites within the Town Centre, they are confident that the capacity identified for additional convenience goods retailing in Bexhill can be delivered on this edge of centre sitem which would be consistent with the objective of EC7 to support Bexhill Town Centre to maintain and increase the proportion of retail spending from its local catchment area.

Accordingly our client also supports Policy EC7 as being deliverable, at least in relation to convenience goods shopping in Bexhill.