Hove in the Past: Hove Beach Park

Judy Middleton 2024

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Western Lawns in the 1930s, now re-developed into the 2024 'Hove Beach Park'

At last work on the much-vaunted development began in earnest on 13 February 2023. Perhaps local residents had been beguiled by the artist’s lovely impression of how it should all look sometime in the future. The reality was that many plants, bushes, and other greenery already there were uprooted, perhaps needlesly. The sight of diggers in action, and the flight of sparrows from the bushes upset many people walking along the esplanade who wondered if such destruction were really necessary – after all the tamarisks and other bushes have been there a long time.

Apparently, the destruction is necessary to improve access to the park with steps, ramps or slopes. This work is scheduled to be finished by the end of February, and before birds start to nest. Bird-nesting boxes would be installed nearby. It is ironic that the original planting was to protect the precious grass of the bowling green from possible damage from salt-laden air. It is proposed that some 600 trees will be planted across the whole project.

copyright © J. Middleton
This scene was taken on 20 March 2009. Since then, the fence was blown down in a gale, it was not replaced, and the plants died

Part of the esplanade was barricaded for reasons of safety. The sawn-off trunks could be seen at the back of the bowling green changing rooms and garage – the latter holds essential equipment the gardener uses to maintain the bowling greens.

By early March the trees that had long been part of the scene at Rockwater had been chopped down. On 15 March the lovely weather vane atop the roof of Hove Bowling Club was carefully removed and stored away. Not surprisingly, members are fond of it and wish it to be restored to its proper place once the new club-house is finished. The weather vane features a male figure crouching and about to send his bowl on its way, and he wears a cloth cap. The weather vane has not moved at the behest of the wind for many years, but perhaps it will be a different story after restoration work.

Work Halted

During the second week of April 2023 all work on the sea-front was suspended for a month because apparently the funding has not come through. Nobody knew what was happening. Probably nothing would be done until after the local council elections on 4 May. It is ironic that in The Hovarian for May 2023 there was an article headed ‘Work on the seafront park is progressing well’. The piece was accompanied by two excellent photos, presumably taken from a drone, showing the site before and after the demolition of the old bowls pavilion.

Then there was a curious piece in the Argus (13/5/23) headed ‘Residents are furious’. This concerned the partial removal of a hedge running along the north to south path connecting Kingsway to the promenade, and opposite Wish Road. Residents were distraught about the sparrows that frequented the hedge. But in fact this work was done two months ago, and was timed purposely to be before the sparrows started nest building. As a ‘green’ gesture nesting boxes were placed nearby, as well as a barrier of cut branches known unfortunately as a ‘dead hedge’ – you can say that again.

copyright © G. Middleton
This image was taken on 1 February 2024,
and the hedge has gone.
On 19 September 2024 the trees (ten in total)
were felled with a chain saw

On 22 May 2023 there was some minor activity in the area but this was to do with the water supply, and electrical matters. Meanwhile, the prominent signs continued to announce that the work was being undertaken by London-based Morgan Sindall, which was founded in 1977.

On 7 June 2023 the company’s equipment was removed forthwith. Apparently, it had transpired that the amount of electricity available on site was insufficient for the purpose; indeed a new electricity sub-station would need to be constructed before any serious work could begin. There was also the problem of an inadequate water supply; the notice proclaiming that the completion date was to be the summer of 2024 was taken down because obviously that was not applicable.

A Big Question Mark

At last some news about the suspended seaside park came into the public domain, and it is not a happy outcome. It seems that if the original plan were to go ahead, it would cost £3.9 million more than the estimate. There were claims that a national shortage of labour and materials was to blame, not to mention rampant inflation, but surely one spanner in the works was that the need for extra water and electricity on site had apparently not been factored into the plans.

That should have been a priority, but instead there was the needless demolition of a building, and the senseless chopping down of much-appreciated hedges, tamarisks, and trees. Despite all the promised improvements, residents are left with a vandalised sea-front, while the prospect of planting some 600 trees becoming a distant pipe-dream. Perhaps that number of trees was never viable in the first place, seeing that many species of trees would not thrive in salt-laden air.

Tennis and Pitch-and-Put

The tennis courts have been allowed to deteriorate over the years – this would never have been countenanced when Hove Council was in charge of affairs. But of course, once Brighton and Hove were joined together – against the wishes of the majority of Hove residents it should be remembered – facilities at Hove became a low priority. The tennis courts have not been re-surfaced for at least nineteen years, perhaps more, with an occasional nod to users in the provision of a new net or two, and the painting of white lines. If a tennis court became too dangerous to use, it was simply locked up. At present there were four tennis courts unfit for use. But it seems that at least the restoration of the courts is still on the cards.

As for the old pitch-and-put course, it is likely it will enjoy the status of a meadow. No doubt anxious dog-owners will be pleased because this is the only green space in the area where they can take their dogs for a walk.

Financial Matters

The park fiasco was also accompanied by the revelation that there is a financial black hole in the city finances of £3.02 million, which works out at around £11 for every city dweller. (Argus 17 June 2023)

Is is now a definite fact – the whole Kingsway-to-the-Sea dream is on hold. The original plans allowed for the project to cost £13 million, and industry costs and inflation were factored in. But today, such a plan would cost over £16million. The finance for the project stands as follows:

Government Levelling-up Fund - £9.5 million

Developer contributions - £1.191 million

City Council’s Toilet Budget - £300,000

City Council’s Carbon Neutral Fund - £700,000

Levelling-up Fund £700,000

The total in the kitty therefore stands at £13,761,000

On 22 June 2023 the Strategy, Finance, and City Regeneration Committee will meet.

Dropped

It is sad, and also irritating, that having got rid of the lovely greenery near Rockwater, the regeneration of the area has been abandoned. You could not make it up. Also, there will be less irrigation points, which could well prove to be a false economy. There will be no turfing, only grass seeds, no expensive plants, no new art, no night lighting, and thus sports could not operate outside daylight hours. Indeed, the whole list was so depressing, it was difficult to discern what exactly the ‘regeneration’ will look like. (Argus 20/6/23)

More News

City councillors voted to implement the proposed cuts to the project. But the figures seem to have altered; now it is stated that contractors reported the proposed park would cost £16.6 million, while the council’s budget was set at £12.7 million. It is therefore somewhat puzzling that Councillor Bella Sankey, the new Labour leader of the council, said ‘We are very confident as an administration that this can still be delivered to a really excellent standard.’ (Argus 27/6/23)

She added an optimistic note that maybe some features could be saved if more funding could be found. Time was also an issue too because the government’s £9.5 million grant was supposed to have been spent by the end of March 2024.

In July 2023 it was revealed that the outgoing council had approved a budget for 2023/2024 that would have landed the city with a £11million deficit. Naturally, this is unsustainable seeing that there is already a £3.02 overspend. More cuts then. (Argus 11/7/23)

In August the council were still being somewhat vague about which parts of the plan would go ahead, although it was stated that the new outdoor sports hub with bowls clubhouse, cafe, toilets and changing rooms would go ahead and hopefully work would start in the autumn. There would also be padel courts, a roller area, and a skate-park. It is good to see that the East Hove Seafront Action Group was keeping an eye on things. (Hovarian August 2023 / Argus 4/8/23)

It is somewhat odd that also mentioned in the list were tennis courts, bowls and croquet lawns when these facilities already existed. Indeed, croquet is becoming increasingly popular.

Finally, there is the enigmatic phrase that there would be ‘accessible and biodiverse green spaces’. Precise it is not.

Work Starts Again

However, on 4 September 2023 work at last started on the project. Presumably, some funding has come through. A new bowls clubhouse is being constructed. Unfortunately, the ‘green wall’ separating the green from the promenade, including a lovely tamarisk, has been removed.

In October 2023 the headlines on the relevant article were ‘Seafront transformation is now back on track’. Work had started on the old pitch-and-put site with boards placed all around it. Eventually, there will be a 600 square metre roller-skating area, and a 150m long pump track. It is claimed to be a first for Brighton and Hove, and local people and those with sports interests were involved in the design. It is hoped that the work would be completed by the summer season of 2024. (Argus 20/10/23)

Tennis Courts

Work was scheduled to start work on the six tennis courts in the week beginning 13 November 2023, but of course strong winds on the 13, followed by a downpour on the 14 did not help matters. But it was cheering to hear that an additional £1million would go into the scheme, which would mean that some aspects of the Kingsway-to-the-sea project would not have to be scaled back. (Argus 14/11/23)

In December 2023 the council was asking local residents to think of a suitable name for the new development. Since this information was only published shortly before Christmas, and the deadline was given as 7 January 2024, there was certainly not much time to think about it. The new title had to be no more than fifteen letters, or three words, and must be relevant to local history. There would be a public vote on the six best suggestions submitted. Argus 21/12/23)

More Money Matters

Apparently, some of the money Brighton & Hove City Council was devoting to the Kingsway-to-the-sea project was coming from what used to be called ‘Planning gain’ but is now referred to as ‘S-106 money. This means that whenever a major project is undertaken at Hove, the developers must ring-fence a certain amount of money to be spent on local improvements. Thus Moda, who are developing the old Sackville Trading Estate on a grand scale, are providing £800,000 to the council, which is part of the £1.29 million the council is devoting to the Kingsway project.

However, this has upset people living in the Westdene and Hove Park ward, who fully expected the money to be spent on improvements in their area because of their proximity to the development. But Labour Councillor Alan Robins said that council planning policy was that it was not always appropriate to spend such money on wards adjacent to a development when there was a greater need elsewhere. However, there would be some benefit for the area from the money in smaller schemes – for example, in Hove Park the basket-ball court would be re-furbished. (Argus 27/12/23)

Hove Lagoon

In January 2024 it was announced that work would also be starting at Hove Lagoon as part of the project. This meant that part of the grounds would be fenced off until around April. No doubt there will be a sigh of relief at the news that the toilets will at last be attended to with refurbishment and new accessible toilets built. There will also be a widening of doors and the ground level raised. (Argus 5/1/24 / The Hovarian February 2024)

Meanwhile, work was also going ahead near Rockwater with a new electricity sub-station being constructed. Work was also underway on the tennis courts.

Choosing the Park’s name

As for the naming of the new park, in January there were nine suggestions to be voted upon as follows:

Dean Mahomed Park

Hove Beach Park

King Alfred Park

Kings Park

Kingsway Park

Mary Clarke Park

Sassoon Park

West Beach Park

West Hove Park

In February 2024 the chosen name was Hove Beach Park. (Argus 10/2/24)

In early March 2024 it was announced that the council was seeking an operator to run the new outdoor sports hub cafe/restaurant that will be situated on the first floor of the new large building. It seems the council was in a bit of a hurry because the closing date for applications is 28 March – that is not even a month to think about it. Whoever takes it on must be aware of three other cafes already in operation within a short distance plus the fact the new building is not yet complete. (Argus 6/3/24)

Padel Courts

In April 2024 it was claimed that the tennis and padel courts should be ready for action by the early summer. There will be six courts for tennis and four for padel – in case people do not quite understand what the latter game entails it is a mixture between tennis and squash inside an enclosed court. The council chose Game4Padel to operate the courts and they are the leading company in the country for this new sport; they already had one court (uncovered) in operation at Withdean, and were given permission to install three permanent and covered courts. (Argus 25/4/24)

Apparently, it was during the 1960s that Padel was invented in Mexico by Enrique Corcuera, a businessman. He really loved playing tennis but there was not enough space at home to create a tennis court, and so he set to work to devise something similar but not needing so much space. Padel was the answer, and it is more sociable than tennis because it is devised for four players at a time. Padel has taken off in Britain and more than 250 courts were created between 2022 and 2023. (Sunday Times. You. 23/6/24)

Further information was announced in early summer. Game4Padel will be in charge of the six tennis courts, as well as the four padel courts. It is intended that these courts will be inclusive for everyone because there will be coaching for all abilities and ages. (Hovarian June 2024)

Sand Sports

It was announced that in the week 17-21 June 2024 work would start on a new sands sport area between the sunken garden and the croquet lawn. In fact such a facility was part of the original plan but was scrapped due to financial difficulties. As well as being a place for beach volleyball, the sand area would also be suitable for rugby, football and tennis. It seems new funding has been found by the tenant, and does not from the city council coffers. But the main source of money comes from the government’s Levelling Up Fund. The opening of the whole area has been put back to the summer of 2025. (Argus 18/6/24)

New Cafe

In July 2024 details of the new cafe were released along with the information that it would be run by Babble Beach and situated on the first floor of the Outdoor Sports Hub with access from the esplanade being up sweeping staircases – one from the west and the other from the east – plus an interior lift. The running of the new enterprise would be right up to scratch as regards green issues with minimal waste, beach cleans, sourcing food from local suppliers, and – here is a new phrase – ‘a focus on the circular economy’. Independent brands such as Slam Kitchen, Backyard Coffee, Bison Beer, and Everflyht Vineyard. For those not wanting to venture inside, there would be a kiosk accessible from outside.

The cafe and Outdoor Sports Hub would be open in September 2024 with the formal opening not happening until the Spring of 2025. The building also contains the new clubhouse for the Hove and Kingsway Bowls Club, plus showers, changing facilities, and public toilets. (Argus 23/7/24)

First Part Finished

In September 2024 there came the welcome news that the first part of the development was now completed. The fences were removed, and on 13 September at last everybody was able to see the three brand new attractions in all their fresh glory, and gry them out. They comprise a skate-park, a pump track and a roller rink.

The skate-park will replace the old one at Hove Lagoon, which was well past its best. There are interesting features to enjoy designed by Maverick Skate as follows:

Banks

Boxes

Kerbs

Kickers

Ledges

Rails

Transitions

The pump track is 150m long while the roller rink is 600sqms.

It is pleasant to note that there was plenty of consultation and feed-back from interested parties as what should be included in this new venture. (Argus 16/9/24 / 17/9/24)

The Argus devoted a two-page spread to the new enterprise, and it seems that people are highly delighted, and it was claimed that hundreds of people, especially youngsters, flocked to the site.

The only fly in the ointment was that the tennis courts were not ready as they should have been. Unfortunately, it was discovered that the surfaces laid down did not provide the same universal flatness, and thus the courts would have to be re-surfaced. Argus 28/9/24)

page layout by D.Sharp

12 October 2024

Hove Beach Park