Find out about the work we carried out to rebuild the former West Street Shelter Hall.
The derelict Shelter Hall (150-154 Kings Road Arches) was built in the 1880s as part of the historic Kings Road Arches and supports the upper promenade at the junction of the A259 and West Street.
In 2013, a gym occupying the Shelter Hall was moved out after the building was found to have serious structural weaknesses. Safety improvements were made to prevent the structure from collapsing and to protect pedestrians and cyclists above.
The work to rebuild the city’s seafront at West Street was kick-started by a £9 million investment award from the Department for Transport’s Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund. The total cost was funded from government grants, borrowing, and council money.
Work included:
The main Shelter Hall is 2 storeys high and includes a partial mezzanine floor, a rotunda on the upper promenade and a roof terrace. To complement and protect it, we built a new sea wall and put in new lighting.
Watch the video below for updates about the work which took place to rebuild Shelter Hall.
The new Shelter Hall is a larger version of the original Shelter Hall, which dates from the 1880s. To create the extra space, the new Shelter Hall is several metres closer to the sea. Shelter Hall is protected by a new sea wall.
The main building is 2 storeys high and includes a partial mezzanine floor. It has permission for restaurant use and a shop.
A new rotunda, on the upper prom, provides a café/restaurant space of around 100 square metres - equivalent to 10 metres by 10 metres square.
Commercial space inside the new buildings is more than double, at 1,530 square metres, roughly 40 metres by 40 metres.
The wooden kiosk, dating from the 1880s, which was above Shelter Hall, has been restored and rebuilt on the upper promenade 200 metres to the east. It houses a cafe.
Planning permission for the move was granted in December 2016. Get the planning application details (reference BH2016/02431).
The work also included:
The scheme is part of the first phase of the council's investment programme for the seafront infrastructure, which is in urgent need of restoration and regeneration. This aims to make it fit for the 21st century and benefit generations to come.