What is the legal name of the lead applicant organisation?
Rother District Council

Where is your bid being delivered?
England

Select your local authority
Rother

Enter the name of your bid
Bexhill; Culture, Community and Skills

Does your bid contain any projects previously submitted in round 1?
Yes

Bid Manager Contact Details

Full Name
Ben Hook

Position
Director Place & Climate Change

Postal Address
Rother District Council
Town Hall Square
Bexhill-on-Sea
East Sussex
TN39 3JX

Senior Responsible Officer Contact Details

Full Name
Lorna Ford

Position
Interim Chief Executive Officer 

Chief Finance Officer Contact Details

Full Name
Anthony Baden

Local Authority Leader Contact Details

Full Name
Cllr Doug Oliver

Position
Leader of the Council

Continued

Enter the name of any consultancy companies involved in the preparation of the bid

Marshall Regen Ltd
Genecon LTD
Purcell Architecture Ltd
Buro Happold
CounterCulture LLP
Robinson Low Francis LLP
RX Architects LTD

Enter the total grant requested from the Levelling Up Fund
£19192000

Investment Themes

Regeneration and Town Center
20%

Cultural
80%

Transport
0%

Which bid allowance are you using?
Full Constituency Allowance

How many component projects are there in your bid?
2

Are you submitting a joint bid?
No

Grant value declaration

I am submitting a bid as a single applicant and can confirm that the bid overall does not exceed £20 million grant value
Confirm

Gateway criteria: costings, planning and defrayment

I confirm that some LUF grant funding will be defrayed in the 2022/23 financial year
Confirm

Costings and Planning Workbook
[File Upload]

Provide bid name
Bexhill: Culture, Communities and Skills

Provide a short description of your bid
This package project will deliver cultural-led regeneration improving the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Rother, capitalising on the iconic status and local significance of the De La Warr Pavilion and extending its reach into the district’s most deprived local communities.

The £25,892,000 capital interventions will level-up community, creativity and skills through:
• Transforming and upgrading the De La Warr Pavilion;
• Developing a community and recreation facility in the heart of Sidley, the district’s most deprived area.

These interventions will create new jobs, upskill local residents and bolster career progression in the creative and cultural sectors.

Provide a more detailed overview of your bid proposal

Component 1 is capital investment into one of Rother’s most iconic assets, the De La Warr Pavilion (DLWP). Highly valued by its community and renowned internationally for its heritage, architecture and cultural programmes.

The site’s heritage is culture and entertainment for health and wellbeing. Opening in 1935 on Bexhill seafront, DLWP is the prototype for the modern cultural centre. Its founding vision as a catalyst for culture-led regeneration remains key. However, DLWP has received piecemeal investment since 2005. There is a pressing need for significant development of its offer to remain competitive and, ultimately, commercially and financially viable.

DLWP’s vision is to level-up Community, Creativity and Skills in our region. DLWP will unlock – tourism, new programmes tackling regional inequality and civic pride within its community.

The realigned site will realise its full potential – growing ticket sales to 85,000 (+40%) per annum, learning/skills engagement to 20,000 per annum (+270%) and normal yearly visitors from 420,000 to 650,000 – an uplift of 55% on completion in 2023/24.

Regeneration and essential conservation works are critical to sustaining and growing DLWP’s offer. The total £23.2m capital project comprises:

• Five new community learning spaces
• Refurbished galleries (500m2) and auditorium facilities (1,500 capacity), presenting world class cultural programmes
• Improved accessibility for artists and audiences
• New facilities for conferences and events, supporting local businesses
• Improved commercial facilities to increase financial resilience, also integral to skills
• New environmental systems towards net carbon neutral ambitions.

Component 2
DLWP have partnered with Heart of Sidley (HoS) over the last 10 years, developing and delivering programmes for the community to help build confidence and provide a wider range of high-quality experiences to one of the most deprived wards in the southeast.

This project will deliver community facilities at Sidley Recreation Ground, based on community consultation and demand.
The site is mainly grassland and contains a football pitch, an enclosed bowling green, pavilions, a children’s play area, and a zip-wire; there is also a general open amenity space. Heart of Sidley made a significant financial contribution to RDC’s refurbishment of the BMX track galvanizing a successful RDC, HoS partnership.
The vision of this component is to connect Sidley with DLWP and the town centre, to provide wider routes to education and employment.

It will:
• Make Sidley Rec the hub of local life and the community
• Provide community learning spaces, coordinating with the skills and learning programmes at DLWP and Beeching Road Studios.
• Improve toilet facilities to be disabled access, parent friendly and better quality
• Upgrade changing room facilities to improve offer for local and visiting events
• Provide a sustainable community space for local residents and community organisations, to host workshops and training sessions.
• Increase local resident services and activities by increasing available community space
• Create a long-term legacy for Sidley

As the facility will be a long-term legacy for the local community, the build will be constructed in an eco-friendly, low carbon, energy efficiency manner where possible.

Provide a short description of the area where the investment will take place

Bexhill is by far the largest settlement in Rother district, with a population of 44,395 people (ESCC 2016), equivalent to some 48% of that of the district as a whole. It is primarily residential in character with an established employment, shopping and service centre role.

Key assets are the seafront, the internationally acclaimed De la Warr Pavilion sitting on the seafront, the mixed-use town centre and residential areas interspersed with open space. To the north is Sidley, cut off from the main town by the A259 coast road.

Optional Map Upload
[File Upload]

Does your bid include any transport projects?
No

Location Information (1)

Location Postcode
TN40 1DP

Location grid reference
De La Warr Pavilion: 574096, 107133

Percentage of bid invested at this location
80%

Location Information (2)

Location Postcode
TN39 4BA

Location grid reference
Sidley recreation ground: 573778, 108955

Percentage of bid invested at the location
20%

Constituencies Covered in the Bid

Constituency Name
Bexhill and Battle

Estimate the percentage of the bid invested in this constituency
100%

Local Authorities Covered in the Bid

Local Authority Name
Rother

Estimate the percentage of the bid invested in this local authority
100%

Sub-Categories relevant to your investment

Regeneration sub-categories that are relevant to your investment
Civic

Cultural sub-categories that are relevant to your investment
Arts and Culture
Visitor Economy
Sports and athletics facilities
Heritage buildings and sites

Bid Summary (cont.d)

Details of other funding schemes pending outcome
This is the only application that has been made for this project. Elements of the project require match funding, all of which has been clearly documented in the specified areas thought the application, but without the investment from the Levelling Up Fund this project and its component parts cannot take place and would need to be redrawn into bite size chucks to bring in the necessary funding. Clearly this approach would not allow for the step change being described in this application which leads to a more resilient business model and secures the future of the De La Warr.

VAT Number for organisation (if applicable)
0191569041

Bidders are invited to outline how their bid will promote good community relations, help reduce disparities amongst different groups, or strengthen integration across the local community

The two components to this project are about creating linkages within our Bexhill communities and delivering access of opportunity to a community that is currently excluded from those quality cultural moments.

The De La Warr Pavilion is wanting to thrive not just survive and expand the opportunities it brings to those who do not currently engage. To do this it is looking to rework the business model to take the focus off day to day survival and onto a most holistic package of life opportunities. To have the space to be able to grow and deliver lifelong learning, guide new pathways into the creative industries for all our Bexhill communities. In strengthening the hub in this scenario, we allow the good practice taking place there to be shared via the spoke and in this case that spoke sits at the heart of the Sidley community.

We know, from ongoing work with local schools, that for many in Sidley the idea of engaging in culture or sport is not seen as important and that there are sections of the Sidley community who never visit the De La Warr or even come to the seaside. For them their life and their community is entirely based in Sidley. We need to acknowledge this and respond by moving the focus away from bring these non-users into the Pavilion but rather take the opportunity to them, to their comfort zone. This is what these projects aim to do.

The ONS 2014-16 life expectancy at birth data shows Sidley to have up to 6 years less that the rest of Rother, nearly 7 years less than East Sussex. The Joint Strategic Needs & Assets Assessment shows 25% of 4-6 years olds are overweight which increases to 34% of 10-11 year olds in Sidley. The percentage of children aged under 16 living in relatively low income families in 2020-21 is 27.4% compared to an average of 18.5% in England.

Is proposed 3G pitch is about providing access to sports facilities in the locality. The need for this to be year-round and accessible by the whole community is important to this bid. The pitch allows for multiple usage over the weekends even during the winter

The Council and the De La Warr Pavilion have been working with Heart of Sidley on projects to try and address these inequities and we know that when they happen, they are well received. The BMX track that has recently been redesigned and rebuilt has had strong community buy-in, the problem is that these interventions are piece meal and we need to develop more permanent infrastructure that allows a constant programme of high-quality interventions. This works not only to increase attainment, skills, knowledge but equally increases aspiration which makes a community feel worthwhile, not neglected, and it responds accordingly.
Within the De La Warr itself, the capital project will bring new opportunities through the development of the education and skills spaces which will provide the infrastructure to support leaning and also reposition the Pavilion as a centre for skills development. The partnerships already made through the work of the education team at the Pavilion, which have led to the demand for dedicated learning spaces, provide a complete umbrella of learning from preschool to HE and on to supported, mentored career development. These pathways of excellence we hope to be able to offer more widely through LUF.

Is the support provided by a ‘public authority’ and does the support constitute a financial (or in kind) contribution such as a grant, loan or guarantee?
Yes

Does the support measure confer an economic advantage on one or more economic actors?
Yes

Provide further information supporting your answer
Yes because the grant will be awarded to the local authority as an enterprise.

Is the support measure specific insofar as it benefits, as a matter of law or fact, certain economic actors over others in relation to the production of certain goods or services?
Yes

Provide further information supporting your answer
Yes because the local authority will use the grant to enable the provision of services as set out in more detail below.

Does the support measure have the potential to cause a distortion in or harm to competition, trade or investment?
Yes

Provide further information supporting your answer
Yes it may be capable of having an effect on competition or investment within the UK.

Public policy objective principle

Demonstrate below how your bid meets this principle

The funding will help RDC remedy identified market failings in the following ways:

Tackling socio-economic shortcomings
There will be five new learning spaces that will be inclusive and accessible to local communities. These will enable and encourage learning through participation and hands-on experience for people of all ages.
The new community hub will deliver much needed services and facilities for Sidley

Creating jobs and opportunities
There will be access to support for aspiring, new and established artists, entrepreneurs and employees
The DLWP’s new auditorium will have technical learning facilities, which will support T Levels and Placements with HE/FE partners
This will act as a catalyst to attract new artists and creative businesses to Bexhill

Re-profiling an under-performing town centre
The investment at DLWP will anchor a quality town centre, drawing footfall throughout the year, maximising local dwell time through its programming and extraordinary seafront place-setting which in turn will attract more visitor spend.

Resetting a tourism sector
Refurbishments to modernise the outdated areas of the DLWP will allow for a world class cultural programme in Bexhill, which should increase visitations by 55%.

Heritage under threat
The project seeks to conserve a Grade I Listed asset. Enhancing its commercial facilities thereby improving its financial resilience whilst ensuring that it is carbon neutral by 2030.

Addressing health and wellbeing inequalities
By transforming underused and degraded infrastructure and the provision of new, accessible and improved sport and recreational facilities for local residents

Proportionate and limited principle

Demonstrate below how your bid meets this principle
The scale of the investment requested will help meet the gap in funding required to deliver the project.

You will see from the match funding that RDC has secured £6.7m (26%) of the project costs but require other funding sources to enable its delivery, as without it delivery would not be affordable.

Change of economic behaviour principle

Demonstrate below how your bid meets this principle
The challenges listed above are set out in more detail here

Challenge 1: Tackling socio-economic shortcomings
• Only two other districts/boroughs in the South East region have fewer jobs (35,000) .
• Rother has the lowest median workplace earnings of all districts/boroughs in the South East region (£25,005) .
• Rother’s economy lost £100m of its GVA value in real terms between 2018 and 2020
• AT £13,886, Rother has the 2nd lowest GVA per head in the South East region, after Gosport .
• Six of the district’s Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are in the 20% most deprived local areas in England.
• Central and Sidley wards are among the most deprived 20% in England and inequality is increasing.
• 19% of children in Rother are in low-income families .

Challenge 2: Creating jobs and opportunities
• Rother’s working age (16-64) population is 52.8% compared to 62.4% nationally.
• Rother has the lowest proportion of working age residents of all districts/boroughs in the South East region .
• Between April 2018 and April 2021, claimant count unemployment increased by 139%. The number of unemployed 16–24-year-olds increased by 143% over the same period.
• Student evaluations from East Sussex Careers Hub show that Rother is consistently losing creative talent to Brighton and London because of a perceived lack of opportunity.

Challenge 3: Re-profiling an under-performing town centre
• Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Bexhill town centre was losing its position as an attractive retail centre. Its VenueScore rank fell from 483 in 2009 to 592 in 2017, whereas its near neighbours, Eastbourne and Hastings, have maintained their ranking.

Challenge 4: Resetting a tourism sector
• Around one in six (4,500) jobs in Rother were in tourism prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but between 2018 and 2020, the district lost 500 of its tourism jobs .
• The total value of tourism activity in Rother decreased by 65% between 2019 and 2020.
• DLWP is the only large capacity (1,500+) arts venue in Rother.

Challenge 5: Heritage under threat
• DLWP auditorium has not been fully renovated since 1935
• Building condition and structural surveys have highlighted serious conservation issues.
• There is a risk to the continuing safety and viability of the building without investment.

Challenge 6: Addressing health and wellbeing inequalities
• Rother has significantly higher levels of people with long term health problems than seen nationally.
• Rother has amongst the highest levels of self-reported bad health and Limiting Long-Term Illnesses or disability of all the OSC220314 .
• There is a lack of accessible sports and recreation facilities, particularly in Bexhill, to sustain and increase community participation in sports.

Compensation of costs otherwise funded by beneficiary principle

Demonstrate below how your bid meets this principle
The grant will enable RDC to help meet the gap in funding required to deliver the project.

Appropriate policy instrument principle

Demonstrate below how your bid meets this principle
Investment in DLWP and Sidley is designed to be catalytic in that it will provide a step change in the economic and social fortunes of Bexhill-on-Sea and become an important economic and cultural asset to the region, levelling up the economic performance of an underperforming town.

Unless market failures are addressed, there will be decay in the fabric of the DLWP and further deprivation in Sidley:

The level of investment needed to do this cannot be funded through increased direct revenue alone, but the benefits of the investment will accrue to businesses and residents throughout the town.

Public investment in the DLWP will expand culture and heritage capital, which is a source of equalisation. The investment will also enable DWLP to extend its outreach and learning programmes into areas where participation and access to arts and culture is currently low.

Competition and investment principle

Demonstrate below how your bid meets this principle
The Sidley Community Centre (including the 3G football pitch) addresses an equity market failure by bringing new facilities directly to the most deprived parts of Rother District, encouraging learning, recreation, healthier lifestyles and active living.

Private sector returns to the capital investment would have to incorporate a pricing policy that would exclude the very people the Community Centre and 3G football pitch are aiming to attract.

Net positive effects principle

Demonstrate below how your bid meets this principle
DLWP is a key local asset, an iconic art deco building and a key part of English coastal heritage, which brings significant tourism spending to Bexhill-on-Sea, benefitting other businesses in the town centre through secondary spending and generating civic pride amongst local residents. DLWP is highly valued by its community and renowned internationally for its heritage, architecture and cultural programmes. Failure to invest will result in the decay and eventual loss of one the nation’s classical buildings from the 1930s – a loss to the nation’s and town’s history and identity.

The restoration of DLWP together with the capital investment at Sidley will enable DLWP to extend its reach and expand cultural-led regeneration as well as addressing community infrastructure deficiencies in Sidley

Subsidy control and state aid analysis (cont.d)

Will you be disbursing the funds as a potential subsidy to third parties?
No

Has an MP given formal priority support for this bid?
Yes

Full name of MP
Huw Merriman

MP’s constituency
Bexhill and Battle

Describe what engagement you have undertaken with local relevant stakeholders. How has this informed your bid and what support do you have from them?

RDC has worked with Heart of Sidley (HoS) and De La Warr Pavilion to understand what the public most want to see happen:

DLWP has engaged with:
• 2013 Social Capital Report by Nick Ewbank Associates identified DLWP as a collaborative social capital model. It recommended a redevelopment project which builds on DLWP’s role as a catalyst for culture-led regeneration.
• National funding bodies (National Heritage Lottery Fund Expression of Interest) for the capital project, ACE NPO application
• Community organisations (Bexhill Museum, HoS)
• Education providers (UCL, Cultural Education Partnership re creative pathways, ESCG/ Bexhill College development of T Levels courses)
• Bexhill Chamber of Commerce, South East Creatives
• South East Cultural Economy Network
• 1066 Country, Sussex Modern
• Arts and cultural networks (Plus TATE)
• Artists, educators, technicians, local freelancers and volunteers.
Wider stakeholder consultation has taken place during DLWP’s recent 2021 business plan review with consultants Counterculture LLP. During a widespread review of DLWP’s learning programmes, a number of key stakeholders were consulted including community groups that do not normally engage (such as the Scouts). Other consultees were East Sussex Music Service, Rother Teaching School Alliance, Hastings and Rother Arts Education Network, East Sussex College Group, Heart of Sidley and East Sussex Careers Hub.

DLWP also consults with its visitors directly via audience surveys:
• 95% say that DLWP’s conservation is important to them
• 34% rate the toilet and bar facilities as adequate/poor
• 70% agree or strongly agree that DLWP encourages participation in community life

DLWP commissioned Purcell to conducted a widespread review of feedback from customers, Board and staff to help shape an improved visitor experience. Consultees highlighted the quality of the cultural programming in the but the failure of the ancillary facilities:
• ‘Long queues at the bar, not able to cope for the volume of people. Too long to get a drink’ ’25 minutes to get to the ladies toilets!’
• ‘Sound system needs improving’.

HoS has engaged with:
In January 2022, HoS undertook a temperature check/baseline consultation with local residents, via Facebook/electronic survey plus Freepost postcard delivered to every household in Sidley. A total of 297 responses were received with the following key findings:

60% wanted to see a café facility included
35% wanted to see a community space included
Comments were almost all highly supportive, focusing on:
• Support for a café/refreshment kiosk—with many saying it would be highly popular/viable, calling for simple drinks, ice cream/snacks/sandwiches, rather than a full café/hot food. (54 comments)
• Need for publicly accessible toilets on the Rec (45 comments), open more frequently—mentioning especially:
o small children can’t make it to the High Street toilets & many are using the bushes/trees around the Rec
o greater need once the new BMX track/skate park is open
o disabled toilets & baby changing facilities
• General support/much needed project (40 comments)
• Support for both a café and community space (34)
• Community space (34) / new home for Sidley Scouts (29) / youth club (10)
• Current building unsightly/derelict/an eyesore (21)

“ I regularly provide activities in Sidley and on the rec and this is one area that Sidley Rec is really lacking – a community hub which I’m 100% certain families in Sidley will get such a benefit from.”

The 2022 consultation follows on from Heart of Sidley’s surveys in 2018 regarding the Gulliver’s Sport Ground, in which 50% of respondents thought the site should be a place where local residents can socialise…(vs. 50% responding it should be a place where residents can exercise, which the Rec already provides). Out of 5.0, residents’ priorities for a community centre on the site were a fully equipped kitchen; licensed bar; community activity space.

Has your proposal faced any opposition?

There is usually some degree of local resistance to change to large scale impactful projects but to date we have not had any opposition to the LUF project ambitions. We hope that in bringing the community with us in the development of this long term project the public now feel a sense of ownership of the project ambitions.

This project has been developed with input and discussion from numerous local forums including Heart of Sidley, trustees of the DLWP, the Bexhill Town Centre Steering Group, the Bexhill Chamber of Commerce, the Bexhill Town Team, 1006 Country Marketing (DMO), Sussex Modern, the South East Cultural Economy Network.

DLWP
This project has evolved alongside other capital projects, including Beeching Road Studios and the seafront regeneration scheme. Long-term partnerships with other cultural providers are equally important such as Hastings and Rother Arts Education Network which links local schools to cultural programmes, South East Creatives which supports local freelancers and ties them into the local cultural network. All these satellite areas of cultural activity revolve around DLWP and need the Pavilion to survive and thrive to support them to continue.

Sidley Recreation Ground
Gulliver’s Site in Sidley was also considered as an area for growth of a community hub in 2018. However, purchase of the land from local developer at inflated market prices has prevented this from happening and political agreement was reached that Sidley Recreation Ground is the right site for this development opportunity a decision which also had community backing.

Do you have statutory responsibility for the delivery of all aspects of the bid?
Yes

Provide evidence of the local challenges / barriers to growth and context that the bid is seeking to respond to

The package bid will address a range of local challenges to enable Bexhill to regain its position as a distinct, growing coastal town for residents, specifically the most vulnerable, and visitors alike.

Challenge 1: Tackling socio-economic shortcomings
• Only two other districts/boroughs in the South East region have fewer jobs (35,000) .
• Rother has the lowest median workplace earnings of all districts/boroughs in the South East region (£25,005) .
• Rother’s economy lost £100m of its GVA value in real terms between 2018 and 2020
• AT £13,886, Rother has the 2nd lowest GVA per head in the South East region, after Gosport .
• Six of the district’s Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are in the 20% most deprived local areas in England.
• Central and Sidley wards are among the most deprived 20% in England and inequality is increasing.
• 19% of children in Rother are in low-income families .

Challenge 2: Creating jobs and opportunities
• Rother’s working age (16-64) population is 52.8% compared to 62.4% nationally.
• Rother has the lowest proportion of working age residents of all districts/boroughs in the South East region .
• Between April 2018 and April 2021, claimant count unemployment increased by 139%. The number of unemployed 16–24-year-olds increased by 143% over the same period.
• Student evaluations from East Sussex Careers Hub show that Rother is consistently losing creative talent to Brighton and London because of a perceived lack of opportunity.

Challenge 3: Re-profiling an under-performing town centre
• Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Bexhill town centre was losing its position as an attractive retail centre. Its VenueScore rank fell from 483 in 2009 to 592 in 2017, whereas its near neighbours, Eastbourne and Hastings, have maintained their ranking.

Challenge 4: Resetting a tourism sector
• Around one in six (4,500) jobs in Rother were in tourism prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, but between 2018 and 2020, the district lost 500 of its tourism jobs .
• The total value of tourism activity in Rother decreased by 65% between 2019 and 2020.
• DLWP is the only large capacity (1,500+) arts venue in Rother.

Challenge 5: Heritage under threat
• DLWP auditorium has not been fully renovated since 1935
• Building condition and structural surveys have highlighted serious conservation issues.
• There is a risk to the continuing safety and viability of the building without investment.

Challenge 6: Addressing health and wellbeing inequalities
• Rother has significantly higher levels of people with long term health problems than seen nationally.
• Rother has amongst the highest levels of self-reported bad health and Limiting Long-Term Illnesses or disability of all the OSC220314 .
• There is a lack of accessible sports and recreation facilities, particularly in Bexhill, to sustain and increase community participation in sports.

Explain why Government investment is needed (what is the market failure)

Investment in DLWP and Sidley Recreation Ground is designed to be catalytic in that it will provide a step change in the economic and social fortunes of Bexhill-on-Sea and become an important economic and cultural asset to the region, levelling up the economic performance of an underperforming town.

The following market failures have been identified, which unless addressed, will lead to the decay in the fabric of the DLWP and further deprivation in Sidley:

Externalities
DLWP is a key local asset, which brings significant tourism spending to Bexhill-on-Sea, benefitting other businesses in the town centre through secondary spending and generating civic pride amongst local residents. DLWP is highly valued by its community and renowned internationally for its heritage, architecture and cultural programmes.

However, it is becoming a neglected asset that will no longer fulfil its essential role without further investment; it has received limited, piecemeal investment since 2005. In short, if the DWLP fails, Bexhill-on-Sea fails. Smaller town centres, such as Bexhill are under increasing pressure to diversify their offer away from retail, or face a cycle of decline. Upgrading DLWP is central to the town’s future economic prosperity.

The level of investment needed to do this cannot be funded through increased direct revenue alone, but the benefits of the investment will accrue to businesses and residents throughout the town. This is recognised in Historic England’s 2020 Heritage and Economy report .

There are also placemaking benefits that do not accrue directly the DLWP – these include the agglomeration benefits of creating a hotbed of creativity, with collaboration and learning at the fore, as well as supporting a national scale visitor offer.

Public Good
The DLWP is an iconic art deco building and a key part of English coastal heritage. Public funds are needed to close this “conservation deficit”, i.e. excess costs of repair over the property’s market value in repaired condition. Failure to invest will result in the decay and eventual loss of one the nation’s classical buildings from the 1930s – a loss to the nation’s and town’s history and identity.

Equity
The Sidley Community Centre (including the 3G football pitch) addresses an equity market failure by bringing new facilities directly to the most deprived parts of Rother District, encouraging learning, recreation, healthier lifestyles and active living. Private sector returns to the capital investment would have to incorporate a pricing policy that would exclude the very people the Community Centre and 3G football pitch are aiming to attract.

Public investment in the DLWP will expand culture and heritage capital, which is a source of equalisation. The investment will also enable DWLP to extend its outreach and learning programmes into areas where participation and access to arts and culture is currently low.

Explain what you are proposing to invest in and why the proposed interventions in the bid will address those challenges and barriers

A range of options have been considered which focus on utilising De La Warr Pavilion (DLWP) as a driver for regenerating the town:

Option: Do nothing
Description: No interventions at DLWP
Assessment: Not considered to be an option. Without investment, DLWP would continue to deteriorate as a cultural venue with the potential to be an unattractive venue for future cultural and arts events.

Option: Capital redevelopment of DLWP in isolation
Description: Renovation of DLWP to refurbish auditorium, create new community space and outdoor area.
Assessment: Investment would be a catalyst for culture-led regeneration in the town but it will not address other deprivation issues in adjacent town centre wards.

Option: Capital investment in ‘hub and spoke’ model to widen access to arts, culture and recreation – the preferred option
Description: Renovation of DLWP together with investment to develop community and recreation facility at Sidley.
Assessment: The restoration of DLWP together with the capital investment at Sidley will enable DLWP to extend its reach and expand cultural-led regeneration as well as addressing community infrastructure deficiencies in Sidley.

Option: Capital investment in other development schemes in Bexhill
Description: Investment in other town centre schemes to address challenges facing the town.
Assessment: Investment in other sites in the town centre apart from DLWP will not contribute to the profile and local economy.

The preferred option is for capital investment in a hub and spoke model, to widen access to arts, culture and recreation where it is most required. The package project will deliver cultural-led regeneration to improve the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Rother, capitalising on the iconic status and local significance of the De La Warr Pavilion (DLWP) and extending its reach into the district’s most deprived local communities. Full details of the projects, including options analysis, can be found appended to this application form:

• De La Warr Pavilion: Unlocking Culture, Creativity and Skills, Purcell (2021)
• Sidley Sports Ground Feasibility Study, RX Architects (2022)

Proposed Interventions

1: De La Warr Pavilion
The site is of heritage and cultural significance (Grade 1 Listed) and over the last two decades, DLWP has been a catalyst for regional cultural and creative regeneration. However, the auditorium has not been invested in since 1990s (and never fully renovated since 1935). The intervention will deliver significant remodelling to address two ambitions: i] to safeguard this heritage asset and bring improved performance and security to the venue; ii] to carry forward culture-led regeneration and transformational outcomes and impacts, delivering a step-change in the reputation and performance of Bexhill.

The project is based on comprehensive community consultation, business planning and feasibility studies in 2018 and 2020, which included a detailed options appraisal of five different combination schemes which propose change across the Pavilion, to represent the potential scope of a capital project and enable the full impacts, costs and benefits of the scheme to be understood. The preferred option aligns closely to the original intentions for the site in 1930s.

2: Sidley Community and Recreation Centre
The Sidley Community and Recreation Centre will involve provision of:

• a new community pavilion/ hub for local residents
• a new Artificial Grass Pitch (AGP) football pitch for local people and sports club, contributing to positive health outcomes and addressing a lack of provision.

How these interventions will address the challenges

Tackle socio-economic shortcomings:
• Five new learning spaces, inclusive and accessible to local communities
• Learning through participation and hands-on experience for people of all ages
• New community hub delivering much needed services and facilities for Sidley

Create jobs and opportunities to retain young people:
• Access to Support for aspiring, new and established artists, entrepreneurs and employees
• New auditorium technical learning facilities, supporting T Levels and Placements with HE/FE partners
• Catalyst to attract new artists and creative businesses to Bexhill

Re-profile an under-performing town centre:
• Investment at DLWP can anchor a quality town centre, drawing footfall throughout the year, maximising local dwell time through its programming and extraordinary seafront place-setting
• Public realm improvements and better connection to Bexhill Town Centre
• Attract more visitor spend

Reset the tourism sector:
• Refurbishments to modernise outdated areas, including galleries (500m2) and auditorium facilities (1,500 capacity), presenting world class cultural programmes in Bexhill
• Increase visitations by 55%

Heritage under threat:
• Conservation of Grade I Listed asset
• Enhanced commercial facilities improving financial resilience
• Radical overhaul of environmental systems to ensure DLWP is carbon neutral by 2030

Address health and wellbeing inequalities:
• Transform underused and degraded infrastructure
• Provision of new, accessible and improved sport and recreational facilities for local residents

How will you deliver the outputs and confirm how results are likely to flow from the interventions?

The context for the Theory of Change has been appended. The proposed investment will enable Rother DC and its partners deliver upon their key local strategies, including delivering on wider regional and national policies in relation to levelling up.

The package intervention has four strategic objectives:

Objective 1: Increase the value of tourism in the Bexhill economy

Objective 2: Protect, enhance and safeguard an important heritage asset

Objective 3: Create and safeguard jobs and improve skills amongst disadvantaged local residents

Objective 4: Improve health and well-being through culture and recreation

The Theory of Change (attached) shows how the proposed scheme will directly address need and opportunities and provide a number of positive outcomes and impacts for the town and the wider region, which are summarised below.

Regeneration Standard Outputs:

Land rehabilitated: 1.53 hectares of land rehabilitated in Sidley
Public amenities/facilities created: 670 m2 new public amenities and facilities created
Educational space created: 585 m2 new educational space created
Community centre/hub space created: 338 m2 new community centre created in Sidley
Sports facility created: 7,490 m2 new sports facility in Sidley
Cultural space improved: 2,659 m2 new and improved cultural space at DLWP
Heritage building renovated: 4,382 m2 useful floorspace renovated at DLWP

The impact will transform Bexhill into a nationally and internationally recognised cultural and visitor destination, with a vibrant town centre with thriving business underpinned by Bexhill’s cultural offer. The residents of Sidley will benefit from new sports and community facilities with improved access to cultural opportunities.

Explain how the component projects in your package bid are aligned with each other and represent a coherent set of interventions

The renovation of the De La Warr Pavilion, alongside the provision of new community and recreation facilities in Sidley, will collectively provide a step-change in the economic and social fortunes of two of the most deprived wards in Rother. High levels of deprivation in central Bexhill and the Sidley ward are symptoms of being left behind.

The challenges around engagement and participation mean that we will provide a breadth of offer that is both located within the heart of Sidley and which encourages people out into the wider cultural and recreational sphere to fulfil their ambitions and the town centre. Our project is designed to deliver art, culture, sport, recreation and community, providing different access and learning points along a continuum of participation that reflects the interests, needs and ambitions of residents.

In addition, the local authority’s investment in multi-modal transport to promote walking and cycling and improved connectivity between Sidley and the town centre, the LUF investment will drive renewal and opportunity and contribute to the levelling up of economic performance.

The restoration of the epic, all year-round venue will have obvious employment and output benefits for the region’s visitor economy and supply chains. The capital investment at Sidley will enable DLWP to continue to develop and expand its pathways to creative industry careers for young people through various programmes, including Talent Accelerator, at the heart of the community.

Set out how other public and private funding will be leveraged as part of the intervention

The LUF funded interventions will provide a catalyst for regeneration and change in the Rother District.

It will assist in levering in other public and private investment for years to come, for example:

• The investment in DLWP will provide help attract further private sector investment in key seafront locations in Bexhill. It will help lever in additional Arts Council and National Heritage Lottery Funding to deliver an inclusive programme of arts and cultural activities for local residents and visitors alike. This will include working alongside voluntary, public and private sectors partners to deliver activities in the new DLWP facilities.

• The investment in Sidley Recreation Ground as part of the LUF’s hub and spoke ambitions into this community will assist in levering in new social regeneration (UKSPF and others) and sports funding (Sport England and Football Association grass roots funding) to help deliver a range of programmes to level up the community and delivery significant social change.

The submitted theory of change sets out how these interventions will lead the delivery of outputs and outcome in line with the government’s Levelling Up ambitions.

The Council is currently delivering several commercial developments across the district including as part of its Corporate Plan:

– Barnhorn Green: an planned expansion to the existing community of Little Comment creating 342 new homes, a care home and employment land to include GP surgery and light industrial units.
– Beeching Road Studios: Local Growth Fund grant funding of £960,000 to turn light industrial units in Beeching Road into creative start-up space;
– The £70m residential scheme developed through the Council’s housing association Alliance Homes, Blackfriars is a sustainable housing development in Battle which won the Inside Housing 2021 Housing Development Award.
– The £15m Town Hall renaissance project which will redevelop the Town Hall alongside a new Civic Centre to support local business and become more community-focused.

Further the Council has worked with partners who together have brought additional external funding into the area:
• CHART (Connecting Hastings and Rother Together) £5.6 million funding through ESIF Community Led Local Development into the most deprived areas of Hastings and Bexhill.
• Heart of Sidley who received £1m from Big Local.

Explain how your bid aligns to and supports relevant local strategies and local objectives for investment, improving infrastructure and levelling up

Local Strategies – Rother District Council

Core Strategy (Local Plan)
Alignment: The bid addresses a number of the ‘top ten’ strategic development issues set out in the Core Strategy specifically:
• securing economic improvements including building on the district’s assets and opportunities – specifically culture and tourism – to support a wide range of job opportunities, particularly for young people;
• providing better facilities for sports, leisure and culture to address deficiencies in leisure and recreation provision and support health and wellbeing outcomes.

The bid will make a direct impact in addressing a number of objectives set out in the Core Strategy including:
1) Increasing the number and range of local job opportunities
2) Making the town more attractive to younger people and families and fostering a more balanced demographic profile
3) Improving the quality and character of the built environment
4) Securing investment in improved community infrastructure
5) Strengthening the retail, commercial as well as cultural role of the town centre
6) Focusing on the meeting socio-economic needs within more deprived areas of the town

The De La Warr Pavilion and its surrounding area is seen as a significant asset and hub for cultural and social activity within the town. The designation of a ‘cultural area’ affords the opportunity to focus the enhancement of the activity and facilities offer to improve patronage and evening economy around the seafront as a significant amenity asset to the town.

Development and Site Allocation Local Plan (December 2019)
Playing Pitch Strategy: Technical Note
Alignment: The DSALP identifies where new leisure and recreation provision is needed and highlights specific deficits in both football and rugby pitches. A core priority is to bring back the former Sidley Sports and Social Club site for playing pitch provision and associated community use to meet the needs of the local community.

Anti-Poverty Strategy (2022-2025)
Alignment: The Anti-Poverty Strategy sets out a strategic plan to bring about genuine, tangible improvements to the lives of those below the poverty line. Sidley is in the Top 10 neighbourhoods experiencing deprivation in East Sussex and a core component of the strategy is to improve and maximise the accessibility of services, which will be addressed through the provision of a new community hub.

Recovery Plan
Alignment: The Recovery Plan recognises the importance of cultural tourism and the need for coordinated action to restart the leisure, hospitality, tourism and cultural economy. A core focus of the bid is investment in the internationally acclaimed De La Warr Pavilion, which drives cultural tourism in the town.

Environmental Strategy (2021-2023)
Alignment: The Plan sets out a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030. The proposal for DLWP includes provision of solar energy, further promotion of the Coastal Culture Cycle Trail and the inclusion of electric charging points which will contribute to this commitment.

Countrywide Strategies

East Sussex Cultural Strategy
Alignment: DLWP is recognised as a core reginal asset within the East Sussex Cultural Strategy. The bid will contribute to the vision and objectives to ensure that cultural engagement is possible for all and is used as a gateway to improved physical and mental health and wellbeing, higher educational attainment, skills development, employment and growing social capital. A renovated DLWP will play a key role in enhancing cultural tourism and attracting more visitors and businesses to the County.

East Sussex Recovery Plan
Alignment: The East Sussex Reset Strategy recognises the importance of the service and retail economy to East Sussex, particularly the creative and cultural sectors. DLWP can anchor a quality town centre, drawing footfall throughout the year, maximising local dwell time through its programming and extraordinary seafront place-setting.

Skills East Sussex Activity Plan (2020)
Alignment: An important theme of the bid is to put people at the heart of regeneration by improving access to services and facilities. The proposed community hub will provide enhanced access to services to help young people become ready for the world of employment, which is the core objective of the Skills Activity Plan.

Regional Strategies – SELEP

Places and People: SELEP Cultural Prospectus
Alignment: Within the SELEP region, creative businesses account for 9.6% of the total businesses in the region. The bid responds directly to the themes outlined in the Cultural Prospectus with its focus on developing a world-class cultural and creative offer alternative to the Capital.

Explain how the bid aligns to and supports the UK Government policy objectives

Alignment with the 12 Levelling Up Missions is set out below.

National Tourism Recovery Plan
• Objective 1: A swift recovery back to 2019 levels of tourism volume and visitor expenditure.
• Objective 3: To build back better with a more productive, innovative and resilient tourism industry
• Objective 4: A tourism industry that contributes to the enhancement and conservation of the UK’s cultural, natural and historic heritage and minimises damage to the environment
• Objective 5: A tourism industry that provides an inclusive and accessible offer that is open to all
Alignment: Investment in the DWLP reasserts Bexhill as a cultural centre of regional significance, improving accessibility to and facilities within the venue.
This will address the decline in visitor numbers that resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic; build resilience in the local tourism offer; and secure the future of the iconic art deco building, enabling a wider range of arts and cultural events to be hosted throughout the year.

• Let’s Create – Arts & Culture Strategy 2020-2030; Arts Council, England
• Creative People – Everyone can develop and express creativity throughout their life
• Cultural Communities – Villages, towns and cities thrive through a collaborative approach to culture
• A Creative & Cultural Country – England’s cultural sector is innovative, collaborative and international
Alignment: Investment in DWLP and the Sidley Community Centre enables, includes five new community learning spaces providing an additional 20,000 learning opportunities each year. This and the associated community outreach broaden access to and participation in arts and culture to the most deprived parts of the local community.
DLWP works closely with partners to ensure that the Pavilion continues to be a central feature of the local community, acting as a hub for engagement, participation and community capacity building.
The restoration of the DWLP safeguards one of England’s iconic Art Deco cultural buildings and builds Bexhill’s reputation as a collaborative partner in contributing to the regional and national cultural offer.
UK Industrial Strategy – Building a Britain Fit for the Future (2017)
To have prosperous communities throughout the UK
Alignment: This project will address economic challenges associated with coastal towns through cultural led-regeneration. The established cultural assets of the De La Warr Pavilion will be upgraded and extended, attracting new visitors to the town, helping to diversify the town centre and building resilience into the local economy.
The benefits of the upgraded cultural asset will be shared throughout local communities through an outreach and learning programme, linked to the development of the Sidley Community and Recreation centre, developing new skills, creating new direct and indirect jobs and building community capacity.
Clean Growth Strategy 2017 (CCS)
Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener 2021 (BBG)
• CCS Policy 2: Develop a package of measures to support businesses to improve their energy productivity by at least 20% by 2030.
• BBG Point 7: Green Buildings
Alignment: The refurbishment of the DLWP will enable it to improve its energy efficiency. The feasibility study that has been undertaken suggests that the upgraded systems will deliver a 30% reduction in carbon emissions.
The equipment in the new North Extension will upgraded and replaced with low carbon heat-pump systems, using grid electricity as the prime fuel and the existing systems move away from fossil fuels to using sustainable sources of energy.
All material that is used for the refurbishment of the DLWP and the construction of the community centre will be selected on the basis of its energy efficiency envelope

Alignment and support for existing investments

Where applicable explain how the bid complements or aligns to and supports existing and/or planned investments in the same locality

Alignment with the 12 Levelling Up Missions is set out below.

National Tourism Recovery Plan
• Objective 1: A swift recovery back to 2019 levels of tourism volume and visitor expenditure.
• Objective 3: To build back better with a more productive, innovative and resilient tourism industry
• Objective 4: A tourism industry that contributes to the enhancement and conservation of the UK’s cultural, natural and historic heritage and minimises damage to the environment
• Objective 5: A tourism industry that provides an inclusive and accessible offer that is open to all

Alignment: Investment in the DWLP reasserts Bexhill as a cultural centre of regional significance, improving accessibility to and facilities within the venue.
This will address the decline in visitor numbers that resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic; build resilience in the local tourism offer; and secure the future of the iconic art deco building, enabling a wider range of arts and cultural events to be hosted throughout the year.

• Let’s Create – Arts & Culture Strategy 2020-2030; Arts Council, England
• Creative People – Everyone can develop and express creativity throughout their life
• Cultural Communities – Villages, towns and cities thrive through a collaborative approach to culture
• A Creative & Cultural Country – England’s cultural sector is innovative, collaborative and international

Alignment: Investment in DWLP and the Sidley Community Centre enables, includes five new community learning spaces providing an additional 20,000 learning opportunities each year. This and the associated community outreach broaden access to and participation in arts and culture to the most deprived parts of the local community.
DLWP works closely with partners to ensure that the Pavilion continues to be a central feature of the local community, acting as a hub for engagement, participation and community capacity building.
The restoration of the DWLP safeguards one of England’s iconic Art Deco cultural buildings and builds Bexhill’s reputation as a collaborative partner in contributing to the regional and national cultural offer.

UK Industrial Strategy – Building a Britain Fit for the Future (2017)
To have prosperous communities throughout the UK

Alignment: This project will address economic challenges associated with coastal towns through cultural led-regeneration. The established cultural assets of the De La Warr Pavilion will be upgraded and extended, attracting new visitors to the town, helping to diversify the town centre and building resilience into the local economy.
The benefits of the upgraded cultural asset will be shared throughout local communities through an outreach and learning programme, linked to the development of the Sidley Community and Recreation centre, developing new skills, creating new direct and indirect jobs and building community capacity.

Clean Growth Strategy 2017 (CCS)
Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener 2021 (BBG)
• CCS Policy 2: Develop a package of measures to support businesses to improve their energy productivity by at least 20% by 2030.
• BBG Point 7: Green Buildings

Alignment: The refurbishment of the DLWP will enable it to improve its energy efficiency. The feasibility study that has been undertaken suggests that the upgraded systems will deliver a 30% reduction in carbon emissions.
The equipment in the new North Extension will upgraded and replaced with low carbon heat-pump systems, using grid electricity as the prime fuel and the existing systems move away from fossil fuels to using sustainable sources of energy.
All material that is used for the refurbishment of the DLWP and the construction of the community centre will be selected on the basis of its energy efficiency envelope

Confirm which Levelling Up White Paper Missions your project contributes to

Select Levelling Up White Paper Missions (p.120-21)
Living Standards
Education
Skills
Health
Wellbeing
Pride in Place

Write a short sentence to demonstrate how your bid contributes to the Mission(s)

Creates direct new jobs at the DWLP and in the wider economy through additional tourism spend; develops the physical infrastructure to deliver creative and cultural learning programmes, focusing particularly on areas of low educational attainment; makes Bexhill more attractive to younger, economically active people, reducing the dependency ratio.
Participation in structured arts and cultural activities, such as those provided by DLWP can increase cognitive abilities by 17% (Cultural Learning Alliance, Key Research Findings, 2017). Learning through arts and culture can improve attainment in Maths and English. Learning through arts and culture develops skills and behaviour that lead children to do better in school.
Creates five community learning spaces; upgrades auditorium technical learning facilities at the DLWP; and creates new community hub with learning facilities at Sidley to enable and additional 20,000 new skills/learning opportunities to be delivered each year.

The Community Hub and 3G football pitch at Sidley will provide new recreation facilities within the heart of Rother’s most deprived neighbourhood to encourage more active lives and community participation, reducing loneliness and isolation amongst vulnerable people. Broadens access to arts and culture, enriching people’s lives, improving people’ physical and mental well-being.

It restoration of iconic DWLP will secure Bexhill’s reputation as a centre for arts and culture; the Sidley community centre will address the lack of facilities that enable people to meet in Bexhill’s most deprived neighbourhood; and associated interventions will improve participation on a wide range of sports, recreation, and cultural activities, delivered within local communities and at the DWLP.