Enterprise & Employment Infrastructure
Enterprise Infrastructure; Skills Infrastructure
Project Description
This programme looks to develop an employment site 3km to the north-west of Hastings town centre, and one site in Hastings town centre. The programme will unlock these sites for a variety of different business opportunities to serve the local community with flexible work spaces and business incubator and factory units on industrial estates and the town centre. The projects are listed below.
Churchfields Industrial Estate Development
Churchfields is a new, sustainable green building with 29 business incubation units for the town’s small businesses.
The centre has been built to a very high sustainable (BREEAM) standard and features Superfast broadband, extensive energy efficiency measures including a “green” roof, solar PV and electric vehicle charging points, and is fully accessible.
It was opened in March 2023 and over half of the units are currently let with 17 businesses utilising space within the building.
The centre was developed with funding and support from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, partly funded by European Structural and Investment Funds via the Connecting
Hastings and Rother Together (CHART) programme, and Hastings Borough Council’s own Capital Programme and the Town Fund Programme and focuses on supporting the demand for new small and medium-sized business units in the town.
Hastings Co-working, Flexible Office & Community Space
Freedom Works own and run flexible office / co-working spaces in Hove, Worthing, Chichester and Gatwick and now Hastings.
Freedom Works is a community–led and award– winning business made up of co–working and flexible office spaces across the regional South.
They opened The Palace Workshop in September 2022 occupying the upper floors of the former Debenhams building in the heart of Hastings Town Centre.
Flexible modern workspaces for businesses and freelancers have been created for people to work in the town centre. Delivering co-working & flexible workspace with a focus on: collaboration, curated and peer-support activities within a ‘Media Suite’ space (TV edit: offline & online suites & a voiceover suite) engaging TV / online production. The space provides private offices, open plan workspace, meeting rooms, encouraging collaboration, rolling out to Freedom Work’s existing membership structures.
The Palace Workspace is currently at 80% occupancy and have served over 300 local businesses and freelancers since opening.
Project Justification
The proposed package of tw major employment and enterprise focused projects present a set of strategic developments that will aim to address several of the key challenges including: too few jobs, low pay, lack of opportunity, low skills, poor educational attainment and lacking strong industry focus, but a town with significant opportunities to flourish.
COVID-19 has accelerated the change in work patterns and the use and necessity of the traditional open office workplace is set to decline. A significant part of our economy is small businesses and entrepreneurs who are self-employed. The creation of new, modern and flexible workspaces will provide access to resources so that they can continue to run / grow their businesses in the environment that many start-ups and SMEs desire. The Churchfields project will address the demand for new medium-sized business units in the town.
Outputs & Outcomes for Churchfields Business Centre
Jobs created: 50
• Number of enterprises utilising high quality, affordable and sustainable commercial spaces (over 4 years): 180
• Start-ups and / or scale-ups utilising business incubation over 4 years: 78
Below are published public documents relating to the Churchfields Business Centre project. Other documents will be published as they become available:
Mott Macdonald Economic Case Notes
Churchfields Business Centre Business Case
If you are interested in a space at Churchfields please contact agents Dyer & Hobbs, email
ahobbis@dyerandhobbis.com or tel 01424 42362
| Total Funding | £4,804,068 |
| Town Fund | £778,211 |
| Other Funding | £4,025,857 |
Outputs & Outcomes for Freedom Works
• 15,000 sq ft of unused town centre space renovated and refurbished
• 50 new offices created for businesses, creating a home for 150 members
• New office space created to attract inward investment into Hastings
• Over a four year period we hope to have supported 170 businesses locally
• New jobs created
| Total Funding | £313,374 |
| Town Fund | £116,732 |
| Other Funding | £196,642 |