Work to convert Queensbury House, Hastings, into housing

In an application validated by the council last week, property developer Dale Real Estate Ltd is seeking a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use (CLEUD) connected with plans to convert Queensbury House, a vacant office building in Havelock Road, into 89 apartments.

The application is a technical matter, potentially allowing the developer to show how conversion works secured through permitted development rights have commenced.

This is significant because the existing prior approval — a consent to carry out works allowed through permitted development rights — had been due to expire last month after initially being secured in February 2021.

Previous consents to convert the building (secured in 2014 and 2016) had expired due to a lack of “material commencement of development.” Plans approved in 2018 to convert the seven-storey building into a hotel and gym had also lapsed in a similar way.

In hopes of proving its case, the developer has provided a range of photos showing ongoing works both inside and outside of the building. These include the stripping of materials from several floors of the building and the removal of asbestos tiles from its exterior, among other works.

In the application, a spokesman for the developer said: “The evidence submitted with this CLEUD demonstrates that the internal conversion works have substantially advanced.

“A change of use may, in principle, occur when the activity on the site changes and when works are carried out to alter the use of land, such as physical conversion of a building for residential purposes without actual occupation having been taken.

“Given the extent of conversion works that have taken place, the change of use to residential has occurred and the Prior Approval has been implemented. The site is therefore considered to be within a residential (C3) use.”

The state of the long-vacant building has been of some local concern in recent months.

Speaking to the Hastings Observer in November, county councillor Phil Scott (Lab) described the building as “clearly dangerous” and called on Hastings Borough Council to consider taking enforcement action.

The council said its building control team was considering an investigation into a “potential dangerous building case.”

A fire had broke out at the site in July last year, with multiple fire crews sent to the scene. And in August 2021, Havelock Road was shut down following an incident in which brickwork fell from the side of Queensbury House onto the pavement below.

For further information see application reference HS/EX/24/00154 on the Hastings Borough Council website.