PLANS to expand a Bexhill artists’ studio using recycled shipping containers have been approved by councillors.
Rother District Council’s Planning Committee agreed proposals for an extension to The Old Ambulance Station in Beeching Road on Thursday, September 17.
The social enterprise provides local artists with studio space at discounted rents.
The two-storey extension, proposed by Cathedral Group, will be constructed from 12 recycled shipping containers and provide around 1,800 sq ft of additional workspace.
It will be linked to the existing building by a raised walkway and will also include an exhibition space.
A design and access statement submitted with the application said: “The Old Ambulance Station has become a model of imaginative regeneration through small-scale, design-led transformation.
“The proposed expansion continues this trajectory by creating new opportunities for employment, creativity and social engagement.”
The plans also include a stretched canopy over the site’s 12-space car park, allowing the area to be used occasionally for outdoor events.
Councillors were told that all existing parking spaces would remain available when events were not taking place.
The canopy will connect the extension with The Carriage, a community café housed inside a repurposed railway carriage.
Solar panels are also expected to be installed on the extension’s roof.
Further details can be found under planning application RR/2025/2087/FULL on the Rother District Council website.
