HOMES, JOBS AND EXTRA REGENERATION CASH BOOST FOR TOWN

HUNDREDS of new jobs and homes are coming to Hastings in one of the town's biggest regeneration boosts.

But as the welcome news was sinking in one question would not go away - what has happened to the landmark Pelham Square building designed to signify the town's blossoming future?

The contrasting fortunes of the projects were fully revealed this week.

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A massive industrial development on Queensway which could provide up to 800 jobs was approved by the council's planning board on Wednesday.

At the same meeting, the Hastings Millennium Community project, which aims to provide 900 new homes, took a significant step forward with a road onto the former Mount Pleasant hospital site given permission.

And the government-backed housing scheme got another massive boost when 15.1m to pay for infrastructure work on the various sites was announced yesterday.

John Shaw, director of Sea Space, the company behind the projects, said: "What we have seen is significant progress in the town's regeneration."

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But while progress is being made on housing and manufacturing jobs, the 53million Pelham Square hotel, conference and office development has hit problems.

Sea Space has been working on designs with Foster and Partners architects since last November and hoped to have an application ready by June, but now it cannot go in before land ownership issues have been resolved.

Hastings Council discovered in July it was not the owner of the land opposite St Mary-in-the-Castle where the two buildings and public square would go. Since then, officers have been working to set up a trust to run the foreshore on behalf of the people of Hastings, as per a Victorian agreement.

This has proved to be more complex than initially thought and this week a council spokesman admitted: "We don't know when it will be sorted out."

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Mr Shaw said he wanted to get a planning application in for Pelham by next Easter at the latest, but a three-man trust - with two members from out of town and one council representative - needs to be appointed first.

Alan Blackwell, a senior officer at Sea Space, said: "This is a hurdle but on big projects like this these things happen. We are confident the council is making progress on the trust issue."

The Queensway industrial unit would be on land opposite the Napier Road junction.

At 16,000 square metres it would be about three times the size of Sainsbury's on Sedlescombe Road North. Providing between 400 and 800 manufacturing jobs, it would be the largest private employer in Hastings.

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Mr Shaw has had talks with several companies who want to occupy the space. He said it would provide high quality, skilled employment which would create jobs for graduates

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from University Centre Hastings.

"The size of the development is a very large statement of Hastings' growth and potential," said Mr Shaw.

He added that he hoped to announce which company would occupy the site in the New Year with building work to start after that. Mr Shaw would not give details of how much the Queensway site would cost to build.

Another benefit is that further safety measures for Queensway, such as crossings, would go hand in hand with the development.

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Councillors agreed to delegate the handling of the planning application to officers, so they could work through the various environmental issues related to the site near Marline Valley Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Jeff Rooker, minister for regeneration and regional development paid a visit to town yesterday morning to officially open the new Hastings Station.

While here he announced the 15.1m for the Hastings Millennium Community, one of only 10 projects of its kind in the country. The money will pay for infrastructure work on the sites in Broomgrove, Ore Valley, Station Plaza and West Marina.

The investment comes from English Partnerships, a government agency linked to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

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Tagged the String of Pearls, they will be much more than ordinary housing estates. They will be built to the highest architectural standards, a design code for which is being worked on at the moment.

They will also include community centres, health centres, shops, offices and transport links.

Lord Rooker said: "The Millennium Community will play a key role in the overall development of Hastings. Not only will it contribute to the need for housing and the demand for business space in the area, but it will also act as a catalyst for further regeneration and housing renewal across the town."

Work will start on the former Mount Pleasant hospital site off Frederick Road in the New Year following the decision by the planning board to allow a 200 metre spine road to be built.

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James Saunders, project manager for Sea Space, said if the road was not given permission it would have delayed the scheme by up to a year.

The road is planned to run through the middle of the site to allow housing on both sides of it.

This project will also provide benefits to road users by putting a mini-roundabout on the junction of Frederick Road and the possibility of traffic lights at the junction of Priory Road and Old London Road.

Summing up where Sea Space is with its work in Hastings, Mr Shaw said: "We aimed to have six planning applications in this year and we have had eight.

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"We wanted to get smaller projects like Marina Pavilion which needed to happen quickly underway while still working on the bigger projects.

"We aim to have all our outstanding projects, including Station Plaza and Pelham Square, before planning by Easter. We are making good progress."

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