Homes Approved For Former Hastings Church Site After Appeal

Five new houses will be built on the site of a former Hastings church, after plans were approved on appeal.

The scheme, from Victory 1066 Ltd, will see the old St Anne’s Church in Chambers Road replaced with three two-bedroom homes and two three-bedroom homes, each two storeys tall.

Hastings Borough Council had originally rejected the proposals back in January, raising concerns over bin storage and parking.

But a planning inspector overturned that decision, saying there would be “no significant impact” on the character of the area and that parking levels were “sufficient” to avoid safety issues.

Some residents had campaigned to preserve the church, designed by Brighton-based firm Denman & Son and partly built with materials from a bomb-damaged building.

However, the inspector said Historic England found the church did not meet the standard for special architectural interest, and that no viable alternative use for the building had been put forward.

While acknowledging its loss was “regrettable”, the inspector concluded the new homes would not conflict with local planning policy.

The development will also include two off-road parking spaces linked to the larger houses.

You can view the full decision and details of the scheme on Hastings Borough Council’s planning portal under reference HS/FA/24/00239.