£2m project to rejuvenate Hastings high street given green light

The money will be used to rejuvenate the America Ground – which stretches from Harold Place up to the Trinity Triangle and the old Observer building – as part of a four-year programme which will begin in 2020.

The project, funded by the government’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) programme and delivered by Historic England, aims to help areas recover from declining footfall and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The £2 million has been awarded to Heart of Hastings Community Land Trust (CLT) – an initiative to safeguard living and work space – after it made a successful bid for a share of £95 million, set aside to help rejuvenate 68 high streets across the country.

The Hastings CLT’s proposed programme includes funds to transform empty heritage buildings into creative spaces, the completion of repair works to historic buildings, as well as innovative training programmes in partnership with East Sussex College.

A sum of £40,500 from the £2 million will be used to help fund the regeneration of the former Observer Building, after planning permission for its redevelopment was officially granted on Friday (September 18).

The national High Street Heritage Action Zone initiative, divided up among 68 high streets, has been funded by combining £40 million from the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport’s Heritage High Street Fund with £52 million from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Future High Street Fund.

The Hastings project, being carried out by a partnership of 19 local community organisations, will repurpose derelict buildings as productive community spaces, restore iconic heritage features of the high street and provide a cultural and educational programme for local people and visitors.

Historic England said: “The Trinity Triangle area of Hastings is a vibrant area full of Victorian and Edwardian buildings. It has developed a quirky character thanks to the growing number of creative people who live and work here.

“However, the area faces the twin problems of dereliction and gentrification.

“The High Street Heritage Action Zone will see a drive to bring empty and dilapidated historic buildings back to life to provide housing, workspaces, a gallery and shops that are affordable. This community-led scheme aims to engage local people and provide opportunities to find out more about the history of the area and learn new skills.”

The £2m fund was initally granted to Hastings in September 2019, while the programme officially launched on September 19, 2020.