21st Century Hastings

Concrete eyesores will be demolished to make way for the very best of modern architecture, ushering in a booming new economy.

Decades of neglect and deprivation will come to an abrupt end and be consigned to the pages of history, as hordes of investors flock to buy a slice of 21st Century Hastings.

Well, that's the plan, at least.

The huge and ambitious Priory Quarter scheme, a masterplan for the future of the town centre, was approved in outline form by councillors last week.

It has been put together by Sea Space, set up by the Government in 2001 to regenerate Hastings.

State-of-the-art offices and shops, bringing new businesses and jobs to the town, will be mixed with education and leisure developments including a multiplex cinema.

Priory Quarter will be tackled in six stages over several years, and top investors will be lured to fund the project.

One of the most radical proposals is for an enormous 'land bridge' stretching from Station Plaza to the top of Priory Street, at its junction with Cambridge Road.

This would fill the entire width of the road, creating a new 'ground level' several feet above Priory Street and filling the sunken gap between the station and Cambridge Road.

If successful, it would completely transform the landscape of that part of town.

The space beneath the land bridge, at the current level of Priory Street, would be used as an underground car park.

Meanwhile, the buildings behind the Post Office, currently occupied by a snooker club, would be demolished to make way for a huge extension for the University Centre Hastings (UCH).

Priory Street multi-storey car park and the huge ESK building, both characterless eyesores, would be wiped out and replaced with smart new shops, offices and a cinema.

Queensbury House opposite the entrance to the station, another blot on the Hastings landscape, would also meet an explosive end.

Key to the entire scheme would be a new multi-storey car park in Braybrooke Road, next to the station, on the site of the current Royal Mail delivery office.

This caused some concern among councillors last week, who said the junction into Braybrooke Road would not be suitable for several thousand vehicle movements a day.

However, they were reminded the scheme is currently in 'outline' form, and the fine details have yet to be worked out.

A design guide will be drawn up to ensure continuity throughout Priory Quarter, and compatibility with Station Plaza.

The outline plans were approved by an overwhelming majority of the planning committee.

Fully detailed plans will be prepared at a later date.

Click here to download a map of the project