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Projects

The Observer Building, Hastings (Phase 1a)

Categories

Approval Status

 

Fully Approved

Delivery Status

 

Construction In Progress

Expected Repayment Date

 

Spring 2024

The project will support the full redevelopment of the 4,000 sqm Observer Building in Hastings, which has been empty and increasingly derelict for 35 years, into a highly productive mixed-use building, creating new homes, jobs and enterprise space.

The Observer Building will include leisure and retail uses on the lower three floors, a wide range of workspaces including studios, offices and open space, 16 capped-rent flats and a public roof terrace and bar with sea, castle and town views.

The scale, ambition and connectivity of this community-led local redevelopment will help to transform the fortunes of the immediate area and the wider Hastings town centre.

Growing Places Fund funding has been awarded to bring forward the first phase of the redevelopment of the Observer Building.

An additional Growing Places Fund allocation of £1,616,500 is being sought to support delivery of the Project. This funding will be used to secure full renovation of the lower four floors of the building, essential works to the entire external shell of the building and internal mechanical and electrical works required to enable delivery of the proposed residential development. The award of this funding will be considered by the SELEP Accountability Board on Friday 2nd July 2021.

Investment in the Observer Building, Hastings

The Observer Building project has also been allocated £1.713m from the Getting Building Fund (Observer Building, Hastings (Phase 1b)) in order to support the renovation of the lower four floors of the building. Phases 1a and 1b of the project will be brought forward to the same delivery timetable.

Capital Programme delivery update

Take a look at our update on the delivery of the Local Growth Fund (LGF) and Growing Places Fund (GPF) capital programmes.

SELEP Capital Investment Programme

Growing Places Fund

The Growing Places Fund (GPF) was established by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (formerly the Department for Communities and Local Government) and the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2011. The aim of this funding is to unlock economic growth, create jobs and ‘kick-start’ house building at stalled development sites.

The GPF was made available to SELEP for investment as a recyclable loan scheme. Loan repayment schedules for each project are agreed within the credit agreement which is put in place at the start of the project. Repayments against these projects are returned to the central pot for reallocation to new projects. Through the GPF Round 1 awards, a total of £47.459m GPF was awarded to 13 capital infrastructure projects across the South East LEP area. Repayments are now being made by the Round 1 projects which has allowed funding totalling £20.387m to be allocated to a further 13 projects through GPF Rounds 2 and 3.
Funding value: £1,750,000
Total Project cost: £4,386,996
Return to Capital Investment