Town must change to hang on to its youth

That was the message to Tuesday's meeting of Bexhill Town Forum.

It came from Cllr Stuart Earl, speaking "from the heart," not as a member of Rother council but of the Inward Investment and Business Support Action Group of Bexhill Regeneration Partnership Ltd.

"Over the years, Bexhill's biggest 'export' has been its young people.

"Although we have had - and increasingly so over the last few years - a tremendous improvement in education locally, when they have been educated our young people cannot come back here and find a career with a firm of real worth.

"They cannot start off on the shop-floor and end up as managing director...."

The town had smaller firms which were world-leaders in their field. A firm in Little Common made precision instruments for the nuclear power industry, for example, another was a leader in the information technology teaching field.

Though the town desperately needed better transport links in order to achieve regeneration, there were many opportunities today for doing world-wide business from home.

"We would have loved to have had the bypass. That would have made a real difference. But that's not going to happen. We must live in the real world. We must try to facilitate movement. If a firm wants to expand to something down the road that's also 'inward investment.'"

The planned north Bexhill business park could only be built when the proposed link road was a reality. It was essential to create new jobs in readiness for the planned housing development at Pebsham.

New shopping opportunities would never be created in Bexhill unless local spending power was increased.

"We really must re-double our efforts to improve our game."

The group was working hard to transform the former Sidley goods yard into a job-creating unit. "I would love to be able to stand here and say it is all coming together - that we have done this and done that and that it's all going to happen."

Finding sites for business in Bexhill was hard and the old goods yard presented difficulties but alternative uses were being sought for the council-owned land.

"We are hoping that this site can be used to retain a major company in Bexhill who were thinking of moving out of the area."

Plans for Bexhill station concourse included an exhibition centre, a cafe area and a new tourist information centre.

Considerable funds would be needed but the station was an important gateway into the town and dramatic improvements were possible.

Some 800,000 had been spent on station refurbishment but there remained a long way to go.

Critics argued that the station should be moved to Devonshire Square. But this would still mean that a new use had to be found for the old station, now a Listed building.

"We are very short of good sites for development. But the sites that are here, which will come up in the next few years, may seem radical. The changes may be difficult for some of us to swallow because 'It's always been like that..'

"All I can say is you might bear in mind when a proposal comes up 'Will it improve the quality of life in Bexhill? Will it improve the prosperity of Bexhill? Will it retain its manufacturers?'

"Change has always been there. Our generation will leave a legacy for the next generation and if we say 'no' to every bit of change it will not be us who suffer but the next generation...

"Let us look at what we can do to improve the opportunities of those who live here now, the young, and make Bexhill worth investing in because it is not just about money, it is about quality of life and our ability to accept change."