Bohemia development area

What are we doing?

Developing plans for the development of the Bohemia area.

Why?

The Bohemia development is an exciting opportunity to transform this significant but underused and undervalued part of the town through investment in new leisure and cultural entertainment facilities, new housing development, regeneration of open space and public realm.  

The area will become both a destination and a living quarter benefiting the local community, tourists and so boosting the local economy. This vision is backed up by our Local Plan, a strategic council document which looked at what areas of the town provide an opportunity for regeneration and development, Bohemia is one of those key areas.

Where are we at?

We have been working on this and have since published the Bohemia and White Rock Area Master Plan which details our vision for what can be done to develop Bohemia. The key parts of the master plan are to:

• Build a new distinctive destination which will be an attractive and enjoyable place for residents, visitors, employers, and their staff
• Build new high quality homes to respond to local housing need and demand
• Provide new cultural, leisure and tourism activities
• Improve links between St Leonards, Bohemia, the town centre and the seafront
• Provide opportunities for employment, training and business development for local people
• Reduce the carbon footprint of new developments through sustainable design and sustainable building operation.

Since the master plan's publication, we have drafted a Town Centre and Bohemia Area Action Plan, in consultation with the public, to set out how we can deliver on these aims and vision and subsequent detailed plans

We have held discussions with significant landowners in the Bohemia area to see how they want to and can support the proposed plans for the area. We have also been working with expert consultants to look at the different options for the development of new leisure and cultural centres, as well as outdoor leisure and performance spaces.

What are the next steps?

From early 2020, we will start work on:

• Undertaking detailed site and topographical surveys of the Bohemia area to give us more information to help de-risk the next stage of the project
• Take a report to cabinet in Autumn 2020 informing Councillors on the results of the surveys, recommending a location for the new leisure and cultural centres, consider potential for housing and agreement on a draft funding/investment strategy.
• Continue discussions with other landowners in the Bohemia area
• Considering how this project can link with the recently announced Town Deal