Members received and considered the report of the Director - Place and Climate Change which outlined the necessary steps for the Council to manage the Beeching Road Studios in-house on an initial basis, whilst other options were under consideration.

In 2019, the Council had secured £960,000 grant funding from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) to refurbish 18-40 Beeching Road, in order to provide accommodation specifically aimed at cultural and creative business.  The Council had worked closely with a steering group of stakeholders, including the De La Warr Pavilion (DLWP), Bexhill Contemporary Group, Bexhill College, Flatlands and others in bringing forward the project.  During 2021, a wholesale refurbishment of the premises had taken place, supported by the SELEP grant, to reconfigure the premises to meet the project objectives. The work had substantially  been completed.

Bexhill College had been selected as the preferred Lead Partner to manage the Beeching Road Studios following a procurement process.  However, Bexhill College had recently advised that, whilst they remained committed to engaging with the project, they no longer wished to manage the scheme. It was therefore proposed that the Council took on the management of the project in order to get the studios up and running and set the foundations to realise the project vision. The option to seek a third party organisation to step in and manage the scheme remained open to the Council if deemed desirable at a later date. 

Details of the proposed management arrangements were set out in Appendix 1 to the report; the project was expected to break even and the budget forecast therefore adopted a ‘net zero’ approach. 

While it was the intention and policy of the Council to operate the scheme as a Creative Arts Centre, it was acknowledged that the refurbished premises would still be suitable for alternative uses, and therefore represented little overall financial risk for the Council.

The Chief Executive Officer of the DLWP outlined support and advice given to the project.  Cabinet acknowledged that the project had been delayed by the pandemic and was pleased to note the robust management plan, which would be overseen by a Board and supported by the DLWP.

RESOLVED: That the Director – Place and Climate Change be authorised to enter into the necessary leases, licences and contracts to enable the Council to manage the creative studios at 18-40 Beeching Road, Bexhill.