News - Colonnade Success

Regenerated grade II listed Colonnade proves huge success.

A winter fair in Bexhill's refurbished King George V Colonnade has attracted approximately 4,000 customers since the building reopened.

The grade II listed structure opened its doors again in November after a year long refurbishment as part of Rother District Council's £5million seafront regeneration project.

And it is thought many hundreds more will have visited the location without making a purchase at the shops.

The Colonnade has been made water-tight, re-painted and structural issues have been fixed. The hillside in which it sits has also been excavated to provide new retail and restaurant space.

The building is currently hosting 'Made by the Sea', a pop-up winter fair featuring arts-based shopping: www.madebythesea.co.uk.

Traders will be hosting a special Christmas opening on Friday, 23 December (11am to 4pm) and will have their last day of weekend trading on Christmas Eve.

The Colonnade is then to be reopened as a restaurant in time for Easter next year.

A retail offer will remain in the shape of kiosks flanking the restaurant area.

Made by the Sea has proved hugely successful, attracting hundreds of visitors to the town every weekend and helping to increase footfall.

Some of the traders involved in the project who are not based in the town, are now looking into the possibility of having a permanent presence in Bexhill.

Josephine Doolan of Made by the Sea said: "It has far surpassed our expectations and it has been a privilege to trade in such a magnificent building.

"Many of the visitors have said how much they enjoyed the shopping experience and Bexhill residents have been extremely welcoming and helpful. We know from talking to people from outside the area that many of them will be coming back to the town based on what they have seen.

"Some of our partners have expressed a desire to remain in Bexhill on a permanent basis, so in that sense it is really helping with regeneration."

Josephine added: "We have this weekend and the two days before Christmas left, so pay us a visit if you are looking for that special gift."

Rother District Council leader Cllr Carl Maynard said: "This is exactly the sort of thing we were hoping for when we agreed to let this group of traders take on the Colonnade - they have really helped to put the seafront project in the shop window. You only need to look at the numbers of people on the seafront over the winter to realise this project has been a huge success.

"In tandem with the Andy Warhol exhibition at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill has probably welcomed more out-of-season visitors than ever before, many of whom will be returning.

"We are confident this success story will continue when the new restaurant is in place and we would encourage anyone who is interested in the retail kiosks, whether they are from Bexhill or elsewhere, to contact the Council."

The Colonnade forms just one part of the almost mile-long seafront regeneration scheme. Other features include; a community park, extensive landscaping, a new rowing club, play equipment, competition-winning shelters and a planting scheme chosen by a leading gardening expert.

Anyone interested in leasing one of the kiosks should contact the Council on 01424 787000.