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Planning Committee minutes

Committee minutes · Planning Committee · Wed 16 Sep 2026 · Hastings Borough Council · the whole meeting

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Planning Committee resolved unanimously to approve the discharge of Condition 6 (materials) of planning permission HS/FA/21/00994 for the installation of the approved York stone pillar and signage at Pelham Crescent, Hastings. p1p5

It also resolved unanimously to grant full planning permission for redevelopment of the West Hill Café, Castle Hill Road, Hastings, into a visitor centre with a café, restaurant, bar, takeaway, gallery/interpretation zones and retail, along with a new pathway, lighting, solar panels and air source heat pumps, subject to conditions in the Officer's report. p1p6p8

Before deciding, the Committee heard that legal advice had recommended replacing the previously proposed Section 106 legal agreement for securing a biodiversity net gain monitoring fee with a planning condition and internal transfer of funds, to avoid unnecessary legal and administrative costs. p7

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  • p1Planning Committee — minutes of the meeting on 16/09/2026
  • p529. Roadways and Footpaths at Pelham Crescent, Hastings (HS/CD/26/00389) Proposal Discharge of Condition 6: Materials of Planning Permission HS/FA/21/00994 Application No. HS/CD/26/00360 Conservation Area Yes – Old Town Listed Building Grade II* Status Council application on Council owned land Having not been present for the entirety of the Officer presentation, Councillor Webb did not speak or vote on this item. Louise Brooks, Planning Officer, presented the application for the approval of the discharge of Condition 6 (materials) of planning permission HS/FA/21/00994 regarding the installation of the approved York stone pillar and signage at Pelham Crescent. There had been no updates since the publication of the report. There being no questions from Members, approval of the application in accordance with the Officer’s recommendation was proposed by Councillor Marlow-Eastwood and duly seconded by Councillor Warne, there being no debate, the Chair called upon the Committee to vote and it was RESOLVED (unanimously): To APPROVE the discharge of Condition 6 (materials) of planning permission HS/FA/21/00994.
  • p631. West Hill Cafe, Castle Hill Road, Hastings (HS/FA/26/00093) Proposal Demolition of the existing café and toilets and redevelopment to form a single storey visitor centre with café, restaurant and bar, takeaway, gallery/interpretation zones, retail (mixed use Class E and Class F1) and reprovision of toilets on the site of the existing West Hill Café. Creation of a new pathway/boardwalk and installation of external lighting on pathways. Installation of air source heat pumps and solar panels and associated landscaping improvements (amended description). Application No. HS/FA/26/00093 Conservation Area Yes - Old Town Listed Building Grade II Public Consultation & Status Not delegated - Petition contrary to officer recommendation received Council application on Council owned land. Item 5a would be considered by only those Councillors present at the 8 July 2026 Committee meeting, where the item had previously been considered (minute ref 14.1). Councillors Marlow-Eastwood, Smith, Ross, Warne and Webb left the chamber at 6:11pm for the entirety of the consideration of item 5a. Vice-Chair Councillor Fawbert assumed the Chair at 6:12pm for the consideration of Item 5a only. Will Larkin, Principal Planning Officer, explained that the application had been previously considered by Planning Committee on 8 July 2026, where members resolved to grant planning permission subject to conditions and the completion of a legal agreement to secure a Biodiversity Net Gain monitoring fee. The proposal before members therefore remained identical to that previously considered, with no changes to the description of the development, the proposed plans nor the supporting documents. However, at the July Committee, the biodiversity net gain monitoring fee was proposed to be secured through a legal agreement, which was standard practice.
  • p7However, as the application was Council-led on Council-owned land, subsequent legal advice had been received which advised that such an approach would add unnecessary legal and administrative time and cost without materially improving the security of the monitoring arrangements. Secondly, since the July Committee, a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) had been published. The application had been reviewed against the updated Framework, and Officers confirmed that the revised NPPF did not alter the assessment previously reported to Members. The relevant planning considerations remained as set out previously, however, references within the report to paragraphs within the NPPF had been updated to reflect the new Framework. Finally, the trigger points of Conditions 5 and 9 had been amended so that they better reflected the development requirements of the project: · Condition 5 had been amended so that the required details must be submitted and approved before the commencement of any 'above ground works', rather than before any development commences; and · Condition 9, relating to vertical sections and design detailing, had been amended so that the required details must be submitted and approved before development proceeds above foundation/slab level, rather than before the commencement of all development. Helen Monaghan, Planning Lawyer, advised the Committee that the approved mechanism for securing the biodiversity net gain monitoring fee through a Section 106 agreement was disproportionate in the circumstances of a Council-led development on Council-owned land. It was explained that separate legal representation would be required for the Council’s property, planning and enforcement interests, which would result in unnecessary costs. Members were advised that the same outcome could be achieved more efficiently through a planning condition and an internal transfer of funds, thereby avoiding additional legal expense.
  • p8At the invitation of the Chair, Councillor Lauchlan sought clarification on the location of the proposed heat pump fans. The Principal Planning Officer advised that those details would be considered through a future discharge of condition application. With approval of the application in accordance with the Officer’s recommendation having been proposed by Councillor Lawrence, duly seconded by Councillor Rumfitt, and there being no debate, the Chair called upon the Committee to vote and it was RESOLVED (unanimously): To GRANT Full Planning Permission subject to the conditions set out in the Officer’s report.

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