Empty Premises in Western Road

Sadly, in Credit Crunch Britain, Bexhill no longer retains that distinction.

Empty premises in Western Road mirror the scene in high streets the length and breadth of the country.

Some Western Road premises have been recently vacated. Others have stood empty for so long it is difficult to remember which firm traded there last.

But Western Road's biggest gap remains its former cinema. The high hopes once entertained for its future when it re-opened as the Redstack Playhouse, featuring not only films but popular live entertainment allied to pre-show meals at the Redstack Restaurant (top right), are now but a memory.

Closure pre-dated the Credit Crunch.

Plans to re-open the cinema's long-vacant ground floor as a night club never got beyond the talking stage.

Sometimes it is possible for a trading community to buck a trend. But the current recession is global and there is no escaping its effects.

What 2009 might bring for the economy is the subject of endless debate by the pundits.

In short - nobody knows when these premises, or thousands of others like them across the country, will be occupied by new businesses.