Hastings Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections project moves forward with re-appointment of design consultants and project extension

Hastings Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections project moves forward with re-appointment of design consultants and project extension on completion date.

The decision to maintain the two-way carriageway on Havelock Road was approved by East Sussex County Council’s (ESCC) Lead Member for Transport and Environment, Cllr Dowling in September 2024. Consultants, Arup, have now been re-appointed and will be undertaking the detailed design stage of the project as they continue engagement with stakeholders including the Hastings Garden Town Team and Southern Water

In January 2025 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government approved the continuation of the Town Deal project into 2027 and a timeline for the project can be viewed here: Town Centre Public Realm & Green Connections — Hastings Town Deal

Designs for the town centre will include greener connections for walking and improvements to public spaces, including a central hub at the intersection of Havelock Road, Queens Road, Harold Place and Robertson Street. Updates to the public realm in Wellington Place are also being considered including seating and planting. Designs will also bring space for nature into the town centre including tree planting as well as on-road cycle lanes on Havelock Road.

Cllr Julia Hilton, Leader of Hastings Borough Council said, “I am looking forward to seeing detailed designs for the much-needed public realm improvements to these areas of the town centre. I am pleased to hear that the project team will be utilising the expertise of the Garden Town Team alongside consultants Arup for the design”.

A key outcome from the public engagement was ESCC’s pledge to ‘You Said, We Did’. During the consultation, key public concerns emerged, which the council took on board and have responded to. Collectively, all feedback will be considered as the design progresses, including a health impact assessment of the scheme, long-term maintenance and management of the town centre, public safety, traffic modelling and aligning with Southern Water on the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS) across the catchment to make our hard surfaces more porous and alleviate storm water overflows. The outcomes of the public consultation were published as a report which can be viewed here.

Graham Peters, Chair of the Town Deal Board said, “It is very exciting that the next stage of planning with this world-class team is progressing for this potentially transformative project, with a focus on biodiversity and greening of the town centre. I look forward to seeing detailed designs in the Summer and at the next Town Deal Open Day”.

Quarterly updates will be published here and shared across Town Deal social media. You can find out more about the Hastings Garden Town Team here.

In 2021 Hastings was one of 101 UK towns to receive a share of the previous Government’s Towns Fund to kickstart the regeneration of the town with funding of £24.3m. The Town Deal Board has allocated £10m of Town Deal money to support this project.

Following public consultation from January to March 2024 and a review of the consultation outcomes, the project was given approval to proceed in September 2024. The decision to maintain two-way movement for buses, taxis, and cycles on Havelock Road and Harold Place was approved by the East Sussex County Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Environment. The report can be viewed here: Agenda for Lead Member for Transport and Environment on Monday, 23rd September, 2024, 2.00 pm | East Sussex County Council