Marine Court, St. Leonards-on-sea, TN38

Architecture and interior

With a refined and high-quality decorative finish, this ninth floor flat within the iconic Marine Court building is an exemplary demonstration of contemporary design being combined with classic 1930s proportions and details.?

Remarkable sea views along the coast and right across to Beachy Head dominate the living room, bedroom and balcony.? The living room has space enough for relaxation and for dining. Leading from here is a cosy sleeping area. To the rear of the flat is a beautifully considered kitchen with free standing fittings and borrowed light from an internal glazed panelled wall. The bathroom has been finished to the very highest standards with good quality white sanitary ware with heritage style fittings. The area of the bathroom, hallway and kitchen are all complemented with Italian mosaic tiles which are of exterior quality of the kind usually found in swimming pools.?

Light fittings to the hall are designed by the visionary Charlotte Perriand, from the ethos of Le Corbusier. Wall and ceiling lights in the sitting room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom are by Le Corbusier.? All wall switches are of the toggle style by Soho Lighting Company, complemented by high-quality stainless-steel socket plates.?

All paint finishes are from Farrow and Ball.?

The flat has recently been fitted with new windows and external doors throughout.

In the neighbourhood

St Leonards continues to thrive as a hub for creative thinkers and the number of independent shops, galleries, restaurants and bars also grows.? Just close to Marine Court are some great restaurants including Half Man Half Burger, Liban Coast, Colombo 16 etc as well as a fantastic Reformer Pilates studio. On nearby Norman Road there is an independent cinema, Kino, lauded restaurants including Galleria and St Clements as well as a growing number of interesting independently owned shops, wine suppliers and galleries. On nearby Kings Road is Bayte, now gaining recognition for its modern British style of serving fresh food with good provenance. Also on this road is Farmyard, The Royal and more casual eating and drinking opportunities.?

The whole area is known for its inclusive and accommodating style and for many years now people from all parts of the creative industries have made this charming seaside town their home or second home.?

Transport and Connections

St Leonards Warrior Square Station is within a ten-minute walk from Marine Court which connects to London Victoria, London Charing Cross, London Bridge and Waterloo East as well as, via a change at Ashford the high-speed connection to Kings Cross St Pancras International. Brighton, Gatwick Airport and Ashford International are all easy to access by train. Hastings Old Town can be reached in around 20 minutes by foot. There is free parking along Marina on a first come-first-served basis.?

History

Marine Court?is a Grade II listed Streamline Moderne (Art Deco) apartment block on the seafront of St Leonards containing 168 flats. The block was built between 1936 and 1938 and was modelled on the recently launched Cunard line, The Queen Mary. The building is 14 stories high and the seafront elevation 416?ft (127?m) long. At the time of opening it was the tallest residential building in Britain. The eastern end is curved and steps back as the building rises, the part housing the original restaurant giving the impression of the ship's fo'c'sle.?The western end of the building is also curved. All the apartments had balconies on the southern elevation resembling the promenade decks of the liner, and also step back as the building rises. The building originally had a rooftop bar.

The interior was, in its time considered to be 'ultra-modern' and 'all-electric', with flats including central heating, a gas cooker and a refrigerator. Hot water was supplied by a central boiler and 'air-conditioning' was installed using ducts and fans.

Material Information

Marine Court continues to enjoy within the cost of the service charge a 24-hour concierge service, lift to all floors, daily rubbish removal from all flats from outside their front doors, buildings insurance and all hot water. The running costs of the flat are incredibly low because of the insulation and the excellent design of the radiators which genuinely "radiate" heat. The flat also has double glazing and is south facing. The current owner achieves electricity bills of around ?200 pa.?

At present the service charge to this flat is high at ?6900 with two thirds of this service charge contributing to the schedule of works which is in place to renovate the infrastructure of the building as well as the internal facilities. The roof works are now completed and the entire electrical system and alarm system of the building are nearly completed. Throughout the course of the schedule of improvements this service charge it is estimated will eventually decrease to ?3000 pa as more and more elements are fulfilled and the overall value of the building increases. 82-year lease (very likely to be extendable to 990 years for little cost).?

Additional Material Information

• Property construction: Steel frame
• Utilities: electricity, broadband, water & sewerage.
• Hot water supplied within the service charge.
• Electricity supply: Independently supplied in-house
• Water supply: Mains connected
• Sewerage: Mains connect
• Broadband: Standard Download speed - 15mps; Upload Speed: 1mps (Ultrafast is available)?Source: https://checker.ofcom.org.uk
• Mobile signal/coverage: Likely excellent coverage for all major networks both internal and external. Source: https://checker.ofcom.org.uk
• Rights and easements: Shared communal entrance.
• Planning permission: https://www.gov.uk/search-register-planning-decisions
• Flight path: http://www.hacaneast.org.uk/flight-paths ?

Council tax band: A, Domestic rates: £1624.98, Tenure: Leasehold, Annual ground rent: £5, Annual service charge: £6900, Service charge description: the service charge includes two thirds of the charge going towards ongoing maintenance and repair which will bring the building back to its former glory. The rest goes on constant hot water, 24 hour concierge, rubbish collected every day from outside each flat, buildings insurance. Roof is now all complete. Electricals are all complete and major problems that occurred with plumbing a year or two ago are sorted. Fire alarms are sorted. There are still issues to be resolved – hence the huge service charge (tapering). , Length of lease (remaining): 81 years 4 months, EPC rating: Exempt.