Hastings: Landmark seafront venue listed for sale by council

The concert hall was originally built as a church in 1828

A landmark seafront venue has been listed for sale after its doors closed to the public last month.

St Mary in the Castle in Hastings was run by a charitable trust for 10 years but the lease ended in November.

The freehold for the Grade II*-listed concert hall is now listed at £500,000, while a leaseholder would be expected to pay £45,000 a year.

Hastings Borough Council said potential investors would need "deep and sustainable finances".

Health and culture Labour councillor Andy Batsford said the venue was a "key anchor cultural asset" and added: "We want to ensure this beautiful building is kept safe and invested in."

The trust, which leased the venue from the council, was unable to recover financially from Covid. Trustees approached the council for financial help but were turned down, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The freehold for the Grade II*-listed concert hall is now listed at £500,000

A spokesman for the council said: "Hastings Borough Council were keen to help the trustees of St Mary in the Castle reopen after Covid and gave them £18,000 last summer."

The trust also received more than £87,000 for Covid recovery and a grant from Arts Council England of just over £50,000. Despite these grants, it was not enough to cover the increasing costs of running venues, the authority said.

The spokesman said: "Hastings Borough Council simply does not have the resources available to support St Mary in the Castle."

Offers would need to be made by 4 February, with any sale most likely needing to be signed off by elected officials.

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