Citizen Spotlight: Hastings Commons

​Hastings Commons is an ambitious, pioneering approach to community-led regeneration in the White Rock neighbourhood of Hastings that seeks to challenge this by offering a real alternative.

"We take derelict and difficult buildings around the White Rock area of Hastings into community custody, transforming them into social spaces, homes and workspaces that will always be affordable and open to all.

​We celebrate people’s ideas and energy and together we shape the places and share the stories of this special, historic neighbourhood."

Join us on this Spotlight call to find out more about the work they are doing and learn how you can take inspiration to do face-to-face work in your own community.

​The Commons is a collection of buildings and spaces in which commoners (people who step up to take action) work together to positively change their environment for themselves and for future generations. It is supported by an ecosystem of partner organisations each committed to a common goal.

Rather than treating residents as passive consumers of housing or regeneration projects, Hastings Commons enables them to actively shape their own neighbourhood, ensuring long-term affordability and community resilience.

Their work fosters collective ownership, participation, and stewardship. Instead of top-down development, they create spaces where people can co-own, co-create, and co-govern their built environment, demonstrating how a shift from consumerism to citizenship can lead to fairer, more sustainable communities.

​For those inspired to take similar action, Hastings Commons serves as a blueprint for grassroots, citizen-led regeneration, showing how communities can reclaim agency over local spaces.

https://hastingscommons.com/about/#whatwedo