Two Hastings Venues Search For New Management

Community organisations or charities have been invited to manage and promote Stade Hall and the council is looking for management for the iconic White Rock Theatre.

Stade Hall would be managed on behalf of the Hastings and St Leonards Foreshore Charitable Trust. It was built for the benefit of, and use by, the community, and this would be an opportunity for charitable or not for profit organisations to have use of the facilities in a prime location.

Stade Hall is in the heart of the Old Town, adjoining the Stade open space and any organisation that manages the facilities must be recognised as charitable or not for profit.

The building includes a communal entrance and foyer, main hall, training kitchen (known as Classroom on the Coast), small office space for approximately three staff, toilet facilities and a storage cupboard for tables and chairs.

The hall has been managed since 2019 by East Sussex College Hastings (ESC). It has been hired for art exhibitions, training days, workshops and meetings, with around 60 bookings per year. The agreement with ESC will end in January 2024.

Classroom on the Coast is a smaller space and is set up and fitted out as a seafood training kitchen. It is located next to the fishing fleet, giving it a unique feel.

The council will continue to manage bookings for the Stade open space on behalf of the Foreshore Trust, working to confirm the bookings with the management organisation of Stade Hall.

Cllr John Cannan, chair of the charity committee, said:

“The hall is a great opportunity for a charity or not for profit organisation to use these fantastic facilities. I am looking forward to seeing the expressions of interest and working with the next management organisation.”

Similarly, the council is looking for new management for the White Rock Theatre from February 2024 and they're inviting organisations to come forward with their proposals.

Hastings Borough Council’s Cabinet agreed in July that the theatre should be marketed for lease from the end of the current contract on 31 January 2024.

Cllr Andy Batsford, lead councillor for culture, said:

“We believe that the White Rock is central to the rich cultural mix here in Hastings and can continue to offer a wide range of cultural activities for residents and visitors in the future.

"We are confident that there will be a strong interest in delivering an exciting programme from our iconic building. I look forward to seeing the bids that come forward and seeing how the building can deliver the cultural and community mix we have come to love in a new creative and sustainable way.”

There are five event spaces within the theatre – the auditorium, the Sussex Studio, Campbell Room, the café bar and the circle bar. These can all be used independently.

The council is looking for a seamless transition from the current contract to the new leaseholder, and retaining the relationships with community hirers, practitioners and participants.

Any bidders would need to offer an accessible and inclusive operational model to meet the needs of the diverse community with social values and sustainability credentials.

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Stade Hall: To find out more visit https://www.hastings.gov.uk/my-community/foreshoretrust/managestadehall/. To register your interest please email estates@hastings.gov.uk by 5pm on Monday 5 September.

White Rock Theatre: Email julian@bluehorizon-ventures.com for further information. There will be an open day on Tuesday 8 August, and the deadline for responses is Tuesday 1 September.