Our Story
Rescue... Breathing life into the spaces
When the building came back on the market in 2018 the community was in a different position, with the very visible track record and experience of Rock House, which had gained in value. Hastings Commons took a mortgage from Ecology Building Society secured on Rock House and negotiated a reduced price of £1.15 million for the freehold of the Observer Building.
“Rock House was very successful - it was full, everyone was paying rent, and it was creating excellent social value. Any normal person would have stopped there, but we were driven by a mission so we mortgaged that success in order to take on an enormous derelict building without having the money in hand to renovate it… mad, maybe, but essential if anything was ever going to change.” Dr Jess Steele OBE, founding investor and now CEO.
On 14th February 2019, the keys were handed to Hastings Commons and a ‘Show Your Love’ party was held for tenants and neighbours. Since then, with the help of many funders, great professional and staff teams, architects IF_DO, and the main contractors 8Build, major renovation has been undertaken at a cost of £6.7M to date.
The design and planned uses of the building as workspace, affordable homes and exciting leisure spaces reflect conversations with hundreds of local people over the last decade about the challenges of gentrification that threatens the diversity and character of the town. Living Rents for homes (set at one third of median local income) and capped rent workspace mean that there will always be some affordable places to live and work in the centre of town. That’s important in Hastings, where the average price of a home has doubled in the last ten years and rents are rising to previously unimaginable levels.
The OB Workspace on the first floor has quickly filled with tenants and hot-deskers, the ground floor Venue is hosting many events, a new creative technology hub is emerging on the mezzanine floor, and Crossfit 1066 gym is active at Alley level. This is just the beginning. Far from being finished, this is a work in progress and everyone is invited to take part in the ongoing work of breathing life into the spaces.
Rescue... Breathing life into the spaces
When the building came back on the market in 2018 the community was in a different position, with the very visible track record and experience of Rock House, which had gained in value. Hastings Commons took a mortgage from Ecology Building Society secured on Rock House and negotiated a reduced price of £1.15 million for the freehold of the Observer Building.
“Rock House was very successful - it was full, everyone was paying rent, and it was creating excellent social value. Any normal person would have stopped there, but we were driven by a mission so we mortgaged that success in order to take on an enormous derelict building without having the money in hand to renovate it… mad, maybe, but essential if anything was ever going to change.” Dr Jess Steele OBE, founding investor and now CEO.
On 14th February 2019, the keys were handed to Hastings Commons and a ‘Show Your Love’ party was held for tenants and neighbours. Since then, with the help of many funders, great professional and staff teams, architects IF_DO, and the main contractors 8Build, major renovation has been undertaken at a cost of £6.7M to date.
The design and planned uses of the building as workspace, affordable homes and exciting leisure spaces reflect conversations with hundreds of local people over the last decade about the challenges of gentrification that threatens the diversity and character of the town. Living Rents for homes (set at one third of median local income) and capped rent workspace mean that there will always be some affordable places to live and work in the centre of town. That’s important in Hastings, where the average price of a home has doubled in the last ten years and rents are rising to previously unimaginable levels.
The OB Workspace on the first floor has quickly filled with tenants and hot-deskers, the ground floor Venue is hosting many events, a new creative technology hub is emerging on the mezzanine floor, and Crossfit 1066 gym is active at Alley level. This is just the beginning. Far from being finished, this is a work in progress and everyone is invited to take part in the ongoing work of breathing life into the spaces.