Councillors To Debate Bexhill Colonnade Return

Calls to guarantee traders can return to Bexhill’s Colonnade are due for debate by Rother councillors.

On Monday (July 14), Rother District Council is due to debate a petition, which calls on the authority to guarantee a “right to return” for traders based within the Grade II listed building after the completion of renovation works due to begin later this year.

The petition, which was set up in March by long term Colonnade tenants Charlotte Arundell and Sonia Valentini, had been signed by more than 4,500 people when it was formally submitted to the council in June.

The petition reads:

“We, the independent shop owners and Hughies café at The Colonnade, are facing eviction by the end of September. The council has ordered us to close for refurbishment, yet there is no guarantee that we will be allowed to return once the works are completed.

“For years, our businesses have served the community, providing unique shopping experiences, jobs, and a vibrant local culture. If we are forced to close with no commitment to reinstatement, it could mean the permanent loss of beloved independent businesses.”

As well as a guaranteed “right to return”, the petition also calls on the council to provide “fair terms” for reinstatement of the businesses after the renovation works are completed, as well as to ensure it engages “with the community and business owners before making irreversible decisions”.

After debate, councillors are expected to vote on whether or not to follow the petition’s requests. They will also have the option of requesting further investigation before making a decision.

The council has previously said it has a “responsibility to demonstrate best value” and intends to “openly market” the available units once the renovation works are completed.

In a media statement released in June (and reproduced within a report to councillors ahead of the debate) a council spokesman said:

“We understand the concerns raised by the independent businesses currently operating at the Colonnade and have been in touch with those businesses impacted by the refurbishment plans.

“We have provided support to the traders affected which has included working with local agents and advising our tenants to register directly with them, offering to act as potential lease guarantor for short-term arrangements if needed and, reflecting the diminishing lease term and condition of the building, reducing the rent.

“The essential works planned for later this year are required to ensure the future of the historic Colonnade buildings. Once the work is complete, we will openly market the available units and any businesses will be welcome to apply.

“As a local authority we have a responsibility to demonstrate best value, meaning we must conduct a fair process for all prospective tenants rather than offering guarantees to any specific business.”

The renovation works are currently set to begin in October and conclude sometime around Easter 2026. This timeline, which is set out on the council’s website, may be subject to alteration as the authority has yet to secure listed building consent for the works.

The timeline notes how a decision on the council’s listed building consent application (ref: RR/2025/1043/L) is due to be made by the councl’s planning committee later this month. The committee is next due to meet on Thursday, July 24, but no agenda for this meeting has yet been published.

Planning documents note how the works are intended to address “extensive water ingress”, which has “compromised both the building’s structural integrity and usability.”

The businesses set to vacate ahead of the works are: Eleven@Colonnade; The Pebble People; Rachel’s Glass Store; Hughies Beach Cafe; and The Bag Lady. The main café at the Colonnade, called The Colonnade, is not affected by the plans.

In media interviews, the traders have said they have faced further uncertainty as a result of local government reorganisation — an ongoing process which is likely to see Rother District Council replaced with a new countywide unitary authority within the next few years.

Speaking to Sussex World in March, Ms Arundell, owner of The Bag Lady, said the traders had been told this process could see the council transfer its ownership of the Colonnade to another organisation ahead of its dissolution. She said Bexhill Town Council and the De La Warr Pavilion had been named among the potential landlords.

Despite this, the report to councillors makes no reference to local government reorganisation nor any potential changes in the Colonnade’s ownership.

While uncertainty remains around the exact timeline for local government reorganisation, the new unitary authority is not expected to hold its first elections until May 2027. Even then, Rother District Council is expected to continue to exist until at least 2028.