Hastings residents' reaction to controversial £24 million town centre regeneration plans

In 2021, Hastings was one of 101 towns in the UK to receive a share of the Government’s Towns Fund to kickstart the regeneration of the town with funding of £24.3m.

An open day was also held recently at Priory Meadow Shopping Centre for residents, businesses and visitors to give updates on the programme, with an exhibition consisting of visual updates for all projects and representatives for each of the current projects present to answer questions around the projects.

One of these is the Hastings Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections project, which could see the creation of new cycle routes, the removal of traffic and the rerouting of bus services.

However, people criticised the plans on the Observer’s Facebook page, with one describing them as ‘hair-brained’.

Roy Beeley said: “I’m all for smartening up what is already there in the town centre but to go ahead with this hare-brained scheme to de-pedestrianise part of the town and move the only taxi rank seems utterly pointless.”

Petrina Kempton said: “De-pedestrianising part of the town centre, from the cinema to Costa. Why? Rerouting buses. Why? Removing bus stops on Harold Place. Why? Removing the taxi rank in Havelock Road. Why? All to put in a cycle route from the station to the seafront and a 'park' in the end of Harold Place, which cash strapped HBC will have to maintain. Just no. Stop with this nonsense already. Upgrade the paving instead of using nasty tarmac; replace the toilets; put back some benches.”

Lyn Meadows said: “All it needs is the town centre to be repaired to a good standard and cleaned and brightened up. No changes to bus routes or road reopenings as that's going back 40+ years.”