£125million Government boost for regeneration

CONFIRMATION of the biggest package of regeneration aid ever offered to the area was greeted with joy in the town yesterday.

The announcement commits the Government to 125m of aid to Bexhill and Hastings over the next eight to ten years with the private sector providing the bulk of the 400m programme.

Redundant buildings and brown-field sites in Bexhill will be bought for new housing, a high-spec information technology and resources centre and to provide much-needed space for new businesses, including high-tech "white collar" job opportunities.

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Redundant buildings in Hastings will be converted to create a local university under the wing of Sussex University. Work will start in September and the first students will be admitted in September 2003.

Other key points also put the emphasis on an incredibly tight schedule:

y A task group of local stakeholders established by April to smooth the way for "broadband" instant internet access for all- making the area Britain's first e-community

y A new learn-direct centre offering e-learning courses from September

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y Refurbishment of buildings to create a new business centre to start by July

y 50 satellite linkages to key business and community locations by September for areas that cannot have ASDL or fibre connections

y Results of a detailed review of transport solutions for the two towns by September

y An enterprise gateway to open by early 2003 to support starter businesses

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y "Incubator" facilities for new businesses by September 2003

Working as a task force with the South East England Development Agency Rother, Hastings and East Sussex have have been in urgent top-level discussion for the past six months..

Redundant eyesore buildings in the two towns will be bought through SEEDA to house key parts of the scheme.

International planners MBM are working on a master plan for the two towns, fleshing-out Five-Point plan concepts and indicating where to locate key developments. When completed, the master plan will be put to Bexhill and Hastings residents for their comments.

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YESTERDAY's announcement agreeing the so-called Five-Point Plan came from Lord Falconer, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Planning.

The firm Government commitment to aid Bexhill and Hastings which contain some of the most deprived wards in the region follows two previous meetings and a visit to the area by Lord Falconer.

Lord Falconer said: "The Five-Point Plan provides a template showing how the key essential elements of successful regeneration can be brought together in an integrated way. It promises to be an important example of best practice for breathing new life into seaside towns across the country.

"Today is an important milestone for Hastings and Bexhill. The plan provides the prospect of new jobs for local people and a dramatic improvement in the quality of lifew.

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"It also shows how SEEDA can integrate support from within Whitehall with the public and private sectors to enable a 400m development package of complementary initiatives."

The resources promised by Lord Falconer are for the initial three years of the programme.

The scheme involves six Government departments:

Transport, Local Government and the Regions

Trade and Industry

Work and Pensions

Education and Skills

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Culture, Media and Sport.