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Another important milestone for the Stade improvement project has been reached, with the architects working on the Jerwood Gallery submitting their formal planning application last Friday. This is available to view at the Hastings Information Centre now, and, very soon, it will be on-line too, at www.hastings.gov.uk/planning.
Work is also progressing on the non-Jerwood aspects of the site, with the council's architects, Tim Ronalds Associates developing their ideas for the community education facilities, the café, and, of course, the open space.
A special exhibition on the plans for the Stade is to be held from 1100-1930 on Thursday 5th March at Hastings Arts Forum, Marina; from 1100-1930 on Friday 6th March at the Town Hall, Hastings; and from 1100-1600 on Saturday 7th March at the Fishermen's Museum, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings.
The exhibition will also include the separate proposals by the Council for the Stade on the existing coach and lorry park and adjoining areas. This will be the subject of a separate and later planning application, although we expect that both applications will be heard at the same Planning Committee meeting.
HAT Projects, the architects working on the Jerwood Gallery, and Tim Ronalds Associates, who are working on our plans for the high quality open space, community education facilities, and café, will be present throughout.
I would urge as many people as possible to come to the exhibition. I know only too well about the various rumours and myths that are circulating about the Gallery, and the Council's own plans, and this will be the ideal opportunity for everyone to come and see what really could happen.
With all that's going on, it's sometimes easy to forget what we're actually trying to achieve. Last Saturday, as part of our ongoing consultation, we held a special meeting on the Stade for young people. We had a very constructive meeting, and the young people seemed really pleased about being able to play a part in the town's future. And we were fortunate enough to see a fishing boat land, and then look at the catch. The young people (and the older people with them!) were really fascinated to learn about how the fishermen put their nets down, and how fish are caught. Their excitement and enthusiasm was obvious, and if our plans for the Stade can bring more of that excitement and enthusiasm to many more young, and older, people, then that's alright by me.
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Welcome to the first online edition of the Stade newsletter. What a month it's been for the Stade, and the improvements we are planning there!
We were told last week that the Government, through CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) has given us £2m towards our plans for a high quality open space on the site of the existing coach and lorry park, new community facilities, etc. This will complement the Jerwood Gallery, to be built at the eastern end of the coach and lorry park.
This money, along with that already offered from the South East England Development Agency, and East Sussex County Council, will help support our own funding to make major improvements to this part of our historic Old Town. Altogether we have attracted over £3.1m of external funding, in addition to the Jerwood Foundation's own £4m capital spend.
And Cllr Matthew Lock, the Lead Member responsible for Transport and Environment at East Sussex County Council, approved the transport arrangements to allow us to close the coach and lorry park, and make alternative provision for coaches.
The really good news is that some of the most controversial elements of the plans are no longer necessary.
A detailed analysis of coach park usage during last Summer showed that the number of coaches visiting was far less than the capacity of the coach park, so we don't need as much replacement parking as we had originally planned.
Currently the Stade can hold 42 coaches, but detailed analysis of usage in the Summer of 2008 has shown that the maximum number of coaches at any one time was 26, with the average of just 12.
Falaise Road will now be used as the main coach parking area, providing 21 bays, and we will now be providing just two additional coach parking bays in Sea Road, making eight in total there.
And, in the Old Town, we have shown that we don't need to provide any kind of coach turning (the proposals for a 'roundabout' at the bottom of Old London Road were not well received locally).
Work is progressing well with both sets of architects. Those working for the Jerwood Foundation are expected to formally submit their planning application within the next month. The architects working for us have held a number of meetings locally, and are now working up detailed proposals for new community facilities and public toilets on the site of the Fishmarket Car Park, immediately adjacent to the East Hastings Sea Angling Association (EHSAA); a new café, and the fantastic open area. It had been planned to put the community facilities on the ground floor of the EHSAA, but the cost of doing this - because it meant bringing the building into line with the latest building regulations - was just too high. For the same amount of money, far better, bigger, new community facilities could be built, and that is what we are now intending to do. This is of course in line with the Masterplan Option C we consulted upon.
There was a suggestion that the café should be moved to the south side of the site, but this was not well received by our Advisory Group, so the café will remain on its Masterplan site, of Tom's Cabin.
We will be holding an exhibition in early March to show off the latest plans - full details next month.
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This page last updated: 27/02/2009