New look for riverside

THE official opening of Newhaven's 11 million West Quay development will be marked with a festival of fun for all the family tomorrow (Saturday).

Attractions, from 11am to 1pm, will include marching band, bouncy castle, health walk, cycling events, children's fancy dress competition and stalls.

The chairman of Lewes District Council, Cllr Peter Harper, will cut the ribbon to launch the new riverside walk and cycle ways, and a new open space with trees, formal lavender garden, bi-lingual information boards and a spectacular steel sculpture of a cormorant as its focal point.

Visitors will also be able to look around the new state of the art fishing facilities, which include a new fish market, processing and ice plant, workshops, storage units and rebuilt landing stages.

All of the planned 46 houses and 20 flats on West Quay have been sold and building is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

In the early 1980s, the development of West Quay was identified by Lewes District Council as a key part of the regeneration of Newhaven.

Council leader Cllr Ann de Vecchi said: 'We needed a blueprint for Newhaven that would provide new facilities for the long-established fishing industry in the town, build some new housing and produce much-needed public open space.

Economic

'Our aim was to provide a high-quality environment that both local residents and visitors would be able to enjoy.

'This development should go a considerable way towards boosting Newhaven's economic growth and we are now looking at further plans for regenerating the west bank area.'

There were high costs associated with developing the riverside site, such as flood defence measures and the need to divert a main sewer. Lewes District Council had forged partnerships to fund the project. Sea Containers invested 7 million and Newhaven (Sussex) Fish and Flake Ice Society funded the fishing complex.

The district council is managing the project on behalf of the public sector interests, including Interreg, a joint project with the Municipality of Dieppe in the Seine-Maritime region. Public sector funding has also been obtained from other European sources and central Government, while Sustrans has contributed towards the cycling facilities.