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The Creative Media Centre, 44-45 Robertson Street

Planning application HS/PA/25/00770

The Creative Media Centre, 44-45 Robertson Street, Hastings

Change of use This uses the prior-approval route: national rules allow the work, and the council can check only set things, such as its size or its effect on neighbours.

What is proposed

In the council’s words, from its weekly list:

Notification for prior approval for change of use of part of the ground and first floors and all… cut short in the council’s list; the full wording is on its file

Where it stands

The council’s file ↗

Conditions attached

The decision notice on the council’s file (published Mon 7 Sep 2026) attaches 8 conditions. In the council’s words, each with the reason it gives:

  1. Time limit to start
    (a) Development must be completed within a period of 3 years starting with the prior approval date. (b) Any building permitted to be used as a dwellinghouse by virtue of Class MA is to remain in use as a dwellinghouse within the meaning of Class C3 of Schedule 1 to the Use Classes Order and for no other purpose, except to the extent that the other purpose is ancillary to the use as a dwellinghouse.

    Reason: To ensure that the proposed development falls within the limit of permitted development within Class MA of Part 3 of Schedule 2 of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended)

  2. How the building or land is used
    Prior to the first occupation of any of the dwellings hereby approved the external alteration of the existing window to a proposed door opening as shown on drawing no. 07 I, as approved under planning application HS/FA/26/00280, shall be fully implemented in accordance with the approved details and be available for use. The approved means of ingress/ingress shall thereafter be retained and maintained for its intended purpose for the lifetime of the development.

    Reason: In accordance with the fire safety prior approval requirements of Schedule 2, Part 3, Class MA of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended).

  3. Built to the approved plans
    Prior to the first occupation of any of the dwellings hereby permitted, the refuse and recycling storage facilities shall be provided in full accordance with the details shown on approved drawing no. 07 I. The facilities shall thereafter be retained and maintained in accordance with the approved plans for the lifetime of the development.

    Reason: In the interests of residential amenity and the satisfactory functioning of the development.

  4. Parking, access and cycles
    Prior to the first occupation of any of the dwellings hereby permitted, secure cycle storage shall be provided in full accordance with the details shown on drawing no. 07 I and the submitted 'Bike Dock Solutions Two Tier Bike Racks' details, providing a capacity for a minimum of 22 no. bicycles, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The cycle storage facilities shall thereafter be retained and maintained in accordance with the approved details for the lifetime of the development.

    Reason: To ensure that adequate, secure and convenient cycle storage is provided for future occupiers, to support sustainable modes of travel.

  5. Hours of building work
    Work which is audible at the site boundary and deliveries too and from the premises, during construction, shall not take place before 08:00 and after 18:00 hours Monday-Friday or before 08:00 and after 13:00 on Saturdays and at no time on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

    Reason: In the interests of neighbouring residential amenity.

  6. Contaminated land
    In the event that contamination is found at any time when carrying out the proposed development, that was not previously identified, (such as asbestos containing material), works should cease immediately on site. A scheme of proposed remediation measures must be submitted to and approved in writing to the Local Planning Authority for approval prior to continuation of the works within one working day of the contamination being found on site. Works shall not recommence on site until the remediation scheme has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority in writing. Once the remediation scheme is approved by the Local Planning Authority, all the measures required within the approved remediation scheme shall be carried out. Any approved remediation works, shall be carried out in full on site under a quality assurance scheme to demonstrate compliance with the proposed methodology and best practice guidance. In the event that contamination is found to be present, upon completion of the works the developer shall provide written confirmation (verification report) that all works were completed in accordance with the agreed remediation details, this to be approved by the Local Planning Authority.

    Reason: To protect those redeveloping the site and any future occupants from potential contamination.

  7. Noise, plant and smells
    Details including acoustic specifications, of all fixed plant, machinery and equipment associated with air moving equipment (including Heat pumps, fans, ducting and external openings), compressors, generators or plant or equipment of a like kind, installed within the site, which has the potential to cause noise disturbance to any noise sensitive receivers, shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority before installation. The fixed plant, machinery and equipment associated with air moving equipment, compressors, generators or plant or equipment of a like kind shall be installed in accordance with the approved details and retained and maintained as such for the lifetime of the development unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

    Reason: In the interests of neighbouring residential amenity.

  8. Noise, plant and smells
    Prior to the first occupation of any of the dwellings hereby permitted, the separating walls and floors between the residential accommodation and any adjoining or underlying commercial premises shall be constructed and completed so as to achieve an airborne sound insulation performance of at least 5 dB DnT,w + Ctr above the minimum standards set out in Approved Document E of the Building Regulations, in accordance with the recommendations of the submitted Noise Impact Assessment (Ecobuild Ltd; Ref: EBC1045.01.00; 17 October 2025). The separating walls and floors between the residential accommodation and any adjoining or underlying commercial premises shall be maintained and retained in accordance with the approved details for the lifetime of the development.

    Reason: In the interest of the amenity of future occupiers.

We copy the numbered conditions and their reasons and nothing else from the notice; its notes to the applicant are on the file. The label on each is ours, by rules on the council’s wording. The conditions the council attaches, by kind of application

Conservation and heritage on this street

Measured along the street’s line against the council’s boundaries. Whether a particular building is inside depends on where the boundary runs: each area’s page on the council’s site has its map. All 18 conservation areas

The council’s Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation covers the whole town (in force since 2 July 2012): turning a house into a shared house for three to six people needs planning permission. The council’s page ↗

2 listed buildings are on or beside Robertson Street: the street’s page lists them.

Conservation areas, Article 4 directions and tree preservation orders: Hastings Borough Council, Open Government Licence v3.0. Street lines © OpenStreetMap contributors. Listed buildings: © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Flood zones, the coast and protected nature on this street

We place an application by the street in its address, so these say where Robertson Street runs, not where the site’s boundary is. The application’s own documents on the council’s file show the site.

Flood zones

Part of Robertson Street is in Flood Zone 3 (the sea). That is the Environment Agency’s flood map for planning, which shows land that could flood from rivers or the sea, ignoring the benefits of any existing flood defences.

Locations in flood zone 3 have a high probability of flooding.

This means, in any year, land has:

Flood zone 3 developments need a flood risk assessment as part of their planning application.

The Environment Agency’s words, from Flood zones and what they mean ↗.

A street’s line is not an address. For a particular address, use the Environment Agency’s Check your long term flood risk ↗; for a planning site, its Flood map for planning ↗. Flood warnings in force now are on Live now.

Protected nature

No Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation, Local Nature Reserve, ancient woodland or country park is within about 100 m of Robertson Street’s line, and it is outside the High Weald National Landscape. Protected nature in Hastings

Flood zones: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0. Fetched 2026-10-12.

Coastal erosion and the Shoreline Management Plan: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2025. © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2015. Open Government Licence v3.0. Fetched 2026-10-12.

Protected sites: © Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Fetched 2026-10-12.

Street lines © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Comments on the application

The council’s file counts 2 comments from the public: 0 objections, 2 in support (as it stood on Tue 13 Oct 2026).

Who the council consulted

The bodies and officers the file lists as consulted, with the day each was asked.

Consultee responses on the file

Responses filed as consultee comments, named as the file names them, with the day each was published. What they say is in each document on the council’s file.

Is a comment public?

The council’s page on commenting says: “All comments will be made available to view online and will be treated in accordance with our privacy policy. Comments will be redacted where they contain personal information or are inappropriate in their content.” It also says: “Please note that we do not accept anonymous comments.” Commenting on an application, on the council’s site ↗ (read 13 October 2026).

We count the comments on the council’s file. We never copy a commenter’s name, address or words, and we don’t list who objected: that is on the file.

Similar applications nearby

Other applications of the same kind (change of use) on Robertson Street or in Castle ward, decided ones first, since our record starts on 21 April 2026. A refusal is marked; its reasons are in the decision notice on the council’s file. Each application is decided on its own facts.

On Robertson Street

Elsewhere in Castle

…and 3 more of the same kind nearby. Every application on Robertson Street is on its page.

If you think work doesn’t match what was approved

The council’s planning enforcement team looks into building work or a use that may not have permission, or may not follow the approved plans or conditions. Its page explains how to report it and which cases it deals with first: planning enforcement on the council’s site ↗

Our planning record starts on 21 April 2026, from the council’s weekly lists of new and decided applications. We list the site, the proposal, the dates, the decision, the comment counts and a permission’s conditions. We never copy a commenter’s or an individual applicant’s details; an applicant is named only when it is an organisation we can match exactly to a council, a registered charity or a company on Companies House. Planning is decided by the council, not by us.