Queensbury House
Located at the station end of Havelock Road, this office block was constructed in the mid 1960s for a variety of tenants on the site of the Railway Hotel by a Brighton company. This followed a number of plans that were rejected due to the area being considered for clearance via compulsory purchase orders in the early 1960s[1]. The shape of the building as planned reduced the severity of the roadway curvature into Priory Street and facilitated opening up of the station forecourt[2].
The building escaped demolition during the 2011 developments that resulted in the 'Priory Quarter'; an assortment of office space, retail outlets and training facilities[3], remaining vacant from that time until the present day.
In 2018, developers submitted plans to convert Queensbury House into a 103-bedroom hotel and gymnasium; an application to Hastings Borough Council, which was later granted planning permission, saw budget hotel chain easyHotel seek outline planning permission to change the use of the empty office building[4].
Between 2020-2023 it was rumoured to have been utilised as a massive cannabis factory, but other than some video evidence from urban explorers showing support hooks and barricaded doors, there are no reports in the news regarding this. The video is embedded below.
A fire originating in this building resulted in major disruption around the town centre in July 2023.
Images
- Images
Planning map showing location for Queensbury House 1951
Station Approach c1967
Queensbury House interior 2022 - 1
Queensbury House interior 2022 - 2
Basement 2023
References & Notes
- ↑ Hastings Borough Council Planning application ref HS/OA/61/00199
- ↑ Hastings Borough Council Planning application ref HS/63/00147
- ↑ Hastings Borough Council Planning application ref HS/CA/11/00285
- ↑ Sussex Express 17 Nov. 2023 (Retrieved 08 Dec. 2023)
