Community Consultation and Trust Formation: St MinC Drivers October Update

We’re a community group with a shared mission to secure the future of St Mary in the Castle as a vibrant, community-led space for arts, culture, and heritage in Hastings. Here’s an update on what we’ve been up to, and what we’ve got brewing…

A Successful Open Day

Our open day on Saturday 4th October was a great success, despite not being able to access the building itself Thanks to the great efforts of everyone involved — leafleting outside St Mary in the Castle, putting up a new board with a QR code to the brand new website, and the pop-up exhibition at Stade Hall featuring archive photos and historic plans with an early-stage chance to talk to architects OMMX. There was fantastic engagement from the local community with lots of curiosity and conversation about what St Mary and Pelham Arcade could become.

We were thrilled to connect with a lecturer in architecture, who expressed interest in using the project as a student study starting in early 2026 — another example of how the story is inspiring creativity and learning beyond Hastings.

OMMX and Options Appraisal

The architecture firm OMMX are currently working on an options appraisal for St Mary in the Castle (funded by the Architectural Heritage Fund) — an essential step in shaping a realistic and inspiring future for the building.

An options appraisal is a detailed study that explores different potential uses, layouts, and models for how the building could operate sustainably. It looks at factors like accessibility, running costs, community benefit, and heritage value, helping us understand what’s feasible both financially and practically.

For St Mary, this process will help define how spaces could be adapted for performance, learning, and community activity, while respecting the building’s unique character and Grade II* listed status. It’ll feed into any proposal the Drivers might make regarding the building, showing funders and the council that our plans are grounded in solid research and achievable vision.

OMMX’s early work is already helping us demonstrate how much potential St Mary in the Castle has to become a thriving cultural landmark once again.

Support Growing Strong

Our community now includes around 75 Drivers and 75 Enthusiasts. Our Drivers are active in planning, outreach, and events, meeting up once a month on Zoom or in person, while our Enthusiasts are supporters who just want to stay informed. If you think you’ve accidentally signed up as a Driver but aren’t able to attend meetings, do let us know so we can move you over to our Enthusiast mailing list! Or vice versa if you want to be more involved…

We know the name Drivers Group is unusual — but it’s a symbol of our shared momentum and dedication: we’re driving this project forward together, as fast as we can. 

Building the Trust

A key milestone for the progress of this project is the setup of the St Mary in the Castle Community Trust, which will become the formal body for the project, able to receive funds with a bank account, and to own a building. A number of our members have put themselves forward as Trustees, and are working to establish the Trust as quickly as they can.

We’ve discussed whether to keep the Drivers separate (as a “Friends of” group) or integrate everyone into the new Trust as members. On balance, we’re leaning toward merging — offering members voting rights and a stronger, united voice in shaping St Mary’s future.

Anyone will be able to join the Trust as a member. Membership brings both opportunity and responsibility: voting rights, yes, but above all, a shared commitment to the building’s next chapter.

Engaging with the Council

Hastings Borough Council has commissioned ‘soft market testing’. This process has been frustratingly opaque and suddenly rushed after several years of inactivity, but we remain determined that any future plans for St Mary in the Castle must build on the dedication of the people who love it most — its community.

It appears that a call-out for expressions of interest (EOI) will emerge shortly with a submission deadline of mid-December. We will respond with an EOI but have also asked HBC to make sure any other bidders are aware of the community interest and willingness to partner with any suitable investors. 

Since the building is listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), once the council confirms a potential sale/long lease, we’ll have two weeks to trigger the moratorium — giving us six months to raise funds (or 12 months if new legislation passes in time).

Fundraising

Funding remains critical. Currently we’re running on empty, struggling to support project development in the way we’d like. There’s a promising opportunity from Historic England’s Regional Capacity Building programme which could support project coordination, communications, Trust formation, and stakeholder engagement. However, this will take time whereas we need start-up funding right now, so we have been discussing a “St Mary 100” initiative — inviting 100 supporters to each contribute £100 to support this next stage, with rewards such as private tours and recognition for early backers. Watch out for more info on this.

Looking Ahead: Next Open Day

Mark your calendars — the next open day, to be held inside St Mary in the Castle, is set for Saturday 8th November. Subject to council approval, we’ll be running small-group tours led by Drivers, showcasing early designs and inviting public feedback. Safety protocols, stewarding, and risk assessments are in hand.