SEA YOU THERE
The £13.7million English seaside renovation with new beach park, gardens and sports hub
Ambitious plans will see the West Hove seafront transformed
A SEASIDE town is pumping £13.7million into a renovation project that will see a new beach park, gardens and a sports hub.
Brighton and Hove City Council has revealed its Kingsway to the Sea plans to redevelop the seafront and green spaces in West Hove.
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It’s also hoped it will breathe new life into the underused and run-down facilities, including providing attractive spaces for visitors and a new leisure and sports centre.
Planning permission was initially granted by the council’s planning committee in December 2022.
But a review by the Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee in June 2023, found that increasing construction costs with the combined current national shortages of materials and labour, created an “unprecedented cost inflation” and a gap in funding for the project.
This meant that tough decisions had to be made to omit some parts of the original plan, including lighting and the sand sports area.
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The council is still looking at funding options and a “phased approach” is being taken to the scheme.
In November 2023, the project got a shot in the arm with £1.27m of additional funding to put back in the scheme.
The council said in a statement online: “We're currently obtaining quotes and talking to contractors to assess costs and how the extra budget could be spent in what remains a financially constrained programme.”
NEW PARK
Under the ambitious Kingsway to the Sea plans, a new park will stretch from Hove Lagoon to the King Alfred Leisure Centre, with a new route being created through the park.
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The path will be accessible to all, featuring new pathways and ramps.
Plans also feature activity and relaxation areas in the park, providing opportunities for both sport and leisure activities, including new gardens.
The council says the new park has been designed to increase “Biodiversity Net Gain” by 20 per cent compared to the existing site.
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A new outdoor sports hub, next to the bowling greens will include new public toilets, changing rooms and a café.
It will be the new home for Hove & Kingsway Bowls Club.
A new clubhouse is intended to make it easier for players and spectators to get to the bowling greens.
The Big Beach Café will also have its public toilets refurbished and the green space will be turned into a family area.
NEW SPORTING FACILITIES
The existing areas for tennis, bowls and croquet will remain although an area for padel tennis will be added.
There will also be wheeled sports areas including a skateboard plaza, a pump track for biking, and a rollerblading and skating area.
The new designs will hopefully boost accessibility for people with mobility issues by putting in inclined ramps and new stairs throughout the park, giving people a choice of routes around it.
While the new public toilets in the Outdoor Sports Hub will also have accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility.
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More accessible toilets are proposed at Hove Lagoon and the Tennis Pavilion.
The council is also giving locals the the new West Hove seafront park.
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