Council Moves Ahead With Rye Land Sale

East Sussex County Council is moving ahead with the sale of a plot of land in Rye.

In a decision notice published last week, the county council confirmed it is moving ahead with the sale of land associated with the former outdoor swimming site to the rear of the Rye Creative Centre in New Road.

Cllr Nick Bennett, the council’s lead member for resources and climate change, had formally declared the property – known as the Rye Bay Project Office – to be surplus to operational requirements in April, beginning the process of marketing the site for sale.

In the decision notice, the county council confirmed it had received several offers for the site since April and has now selected a preferred purchaser.

The details of this purchaser have not been disclosed due to reasons of commercial confidentiality.

A report from April notes how the land forms part of the wider Freda Gardham School site – an area of land which has been allocated for residential development within the current Rye Neighborhood Plan. This allocation says the site could accommodate 30 homes.

The site also forms part of a prospective 140-home development project put forward by a Rye-based company known as Martello Developments.

In a website setting out the project’s goals, the company says it believes the former school site could accommodate around 50 homes and a retail and commercial unit.

This website also says the current Rye Creative Centre could be relocated to new ‘purpose-built’ premises in Harbour Road as part of the company’s wider plans for Rye.

At time of publication, Martello Developments, which the LDRS understands leases the Rye Creative Centre building from East Sussex County Council, has not put forward a formal planning application for the Freda Gardham School site.