Originally called the Kingsway to the Sea project, the site runs from west of the King Alfred Leisure Centre to and including Hove Lagoon. The boundaries of the site include the wall to the south and north. The esplanade, chalets in the south and the cycle lane to the north are were excluded.
Project scope
The Hove Beach Park project has been developed by Brighton & Hove City Council with local community organisations to regenerate what was considered to be run-down and under-used spaces on the seafront in West Hove.
Trends in sports participation have changed, leading to a reduction in the use of some of the previous facilities.
The scheme has been designed to enhance the green spaces and provide improved contemporary leisure and sporting facilities which are relevant to the needs and aspirations of residents and visitors today.
The project is transforming this highly visible and substantial publicly owned community asset and provide facilities in line with current and future expectations.
The scheme is:
- remodelling the land between Hove Lagoon and the King Alfred Leisure Centre
- improving the biodiversity and attractiveness of the green spaces
- rejuvenating the public realm
Project history and current priorities
This area was once was part of the natural shingle beach which was reclaimed to create a series of recreational spaces during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These included the Lagoon, bowling greens, and other amenities. The area was named Western Lawns.
The character of these spaces is defined as large ‘rooms’ by the north-south pathways that connect Kingsway to the Esplanade.
The southern wall is a Locally Listed Heritage Asset, and the east end of the project includes the southern part of two conservation areas.
The project has been evolving since 2018 through the work of local community organisations, particularly West Hove Seafront Action Group and West Hove Forum, in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council, to help identify and address current issues of under-use and reduced environmental quality.
In the spring of 2021, Brighton & Hove City Council appointed landscape architects to help develop initial proposals for West Hove Seafront, which formed part of their successful match-funded bid to the Government for project funding which was awarded in autumn 2021.
The funding had a prescriptive timescale which has been extended to September 2024.
In early 2023 due to national shortages of materials and labour, there was a huge increase in project costs. As a result there was a significant funding gap.
When we made the cost plans, we considered inflation and industry market rates. However, the scale of construction inflation was beyond the previous budget expectations.
The Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee approved the changes to the initial park proposals. This meant the project could stay within budget.
We removed some of the features, for example:
- the sand sports area
- lighting for the pathways and the sports areas
- changes to the events space and the sunken garden
Read the Kingsway to the Sea SFCR committee report for more information about this decision.
Following this decision, the Council Leader requested a public consultation on which elements cut from the scheme might be reinstated if funding could be found.
In November 2023 it was announced that the project would benefit from £1.27m of additional funding to put back into the scheme facilities that would otherwise have been scaled back because of financial cost pressures. This included the sand sports area and lighting.
Consultation Summary
At the last consultation event, we asked for your thoughts and ideas about the existing spaces and what you would like to see in the future.
You can read some of the feedback we received on our Engagement and consultation page.