Hastings Borough
Choose Hastings
The creative, free-spirited town where innovation and entrepreneurialism thrives
Nestled along the captivating south coast, Hastings beckons with its vast cultural tapestry and artistic allure, complemented by nearly eight miles of pristine coastline and the allure of nearby woodlands and countryside walks. Having evolved from a humble fishing port into a substantial urban center, many choose Hastings as it has etched its name worldwide through its historical significance, notably the monumental Norman Conquest in 1066.
Merely 65 miles distant from Central London, or a swift 90-minute journey by direct train, Hastings emerges as an eccentric, fiercely independent, and uniquely spirited haven. Pioneering and brimming with energy, this town unfurls an extraordinary cultural panorama, adorned with timeless events ranging from the Jack in the Green festival to the Hastings Bonfire and the captivating Hastings Contemporary. A pulsating music scene further adds to its vibrant character.
The story of Hastings embodies a cycle of perpetual reinvention. Once a favored Victorian seaside haven, the town weathered a decline during the 1970s, prompted by the ascent of budget-friendly package holidays. Yet today, Hastings embarks on a renaissance within its tourism economy. A fresh wave of visionary entrepreneurs, investors, and cultural institutions converge to forge new prospects for its inhabitants. Emerging industries supplant the old guard, with technology bridging gaps in our marginalized communities. Amidst the fusion of natural landscapes and the allure of urban-on-sea living, Hastings stands as a riveting milieu for dwelling, labor, and exploration. It’s no wonder that time and again, many choose Hastings as the cradle for their businesses, drawn by its all-encompassing appeal.
In the last twenty years, significant investment and renewal has enabled Hastings to rival larger cities with a better work/life balance.
Creative Hub of the South East
Culture is playing an increasingly important role in the regeneration of Hastings and is positively impacting the lives of communities and the economy.
The area’s reputation as a cultural centre continues to strengthen with flagship projects such as the RIBA award-winning Pier and Hastings Contemporary, stimulating new cultural economic activity.
Its iconic cultural heritage has always been a source of local pride and passion, with a vibrant annual calendar of cultural, arts and heritage festivals. It is known for its events regionally and nationally, involving and attracting many people that live here and enticing people to visit. Hastings is a creative hotspot at the epicentre of England's Creative Coast stretching from Brighton to Margate. It punches way above its size creatively.
Hastings people are unstoppably creative, and this is a major attraction to living and working in the town. The creative sector now employs around 800 Hastings residents across approximately 260 organisations and accounts for 9.4% of businesses in Hastings which involves interactive, performing, visual and fine arts, gaming, digital, story-telling and more.
Edgy and alluring, many artists, writers and musicians continue to be drawn here by the light, the air, the food, the music, its atmospheric narrow streets and its radicalism, each adding another layer to its rich cultural roots.
The innovation charity Nesta named Hastings a creative hotspot with a high percentage of firms and potential for further growth in this sector. The creative community is a hotbed of creative talent and networked in ways usually only seen in larger cities.
It is impossible to ignore a burgeoning new generation of talent and migrating artists…happening right now.
Daniel HardikerZenoh Design
Manufacturing hotspot
Hastings has one of the most thriving manufacturing bases in the South East with innovative industrial businesses in aerospace, defence, precision optics and hi-tech electronics. The manufacturing industry makes up 14 per cent of GVA (gross value added).
Hastings is home to a specialist and world-renowned ultra-high vacuum/photonics and optics cluster.
As an established centre for vacuum technology, innovation and invention, Hastings has attracted a wide variety of tech businesses including a significant group of Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) and supply chain businesses. 11% of the working population works within the manufacturing sector which makes up 14% of the county's GVA and is higher than the South East average.
Supported by East Sussex College Group, Bexhill College, the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex, the sector is supported by a future talent pipeline that allows Hastings to host advanced research facilities for a wide variety of sectors including aerospace and phontonics.
Space to expand
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