Hastings Town Centre Regeneration – Priory Street & Queensbury House
Hastings Borough Council (HBC) wished to develop and implement plans to regenerate Hastings town centre, focusing on a cluster of sites within the Hastings Station Gateway Area. The Council specifically wanted to assess viability, understand owner / developer interest through active market engagement and identify implementation and delivery models.
The sites were part of a portfolio of opportunity sites within Hastings town centre that include Priory Street – a site comprising a multi storey car park, a retail premises and a former youth centre, and the adjacently located Queensbury House – a vacant office tower. The sites were in multiple ownership, requiring direct engagement with all of the owners.
The scope of the project aimed to identity a clear direction for the future development of the sites based on market conditions, viability and active engagement with all stakeholders, owners and the development market. The project was to build upon past studies and already existing interactions. The scope required high level urban design and public realm input to generate site analysis and subsequent options.
Our role
To support HBC in this task, 31ten delivered the following:
- Objective setting – review and challenge
HBC project objectives were revisited and explored through a series of workshops with the HBC senior team, framed against and reflective of their Corporate Plan 2025-30. The resulting objectives that were identified were based on two-tiers – overriding HBC / project objectives and site-based objectives. These focused on housing, financial stability and sustainability, place-making and public realm, town centre uses, low carbon / environmental targets, site boundaries and phasing, heritage preservation and enhancement and town centre car parking strategy.
- Landowner engagement
Initial informal exploratory conversations were held with third party landowners to establish common goals, objectives and to gauge the general sentiment and appetite for regeneration.
- Design review
Building on the recent feasibility studies, reports and analysis on the Priory Street Regeneration sites, 31ten partnered with architects HNW to further this work by preparing an updated Research and Analysis report. This focused on the urban design, design and town planning considerations influencing the sites’ regeneration potential. Furthermore, 31ten also oversaw the preparation of a Feasibility Strategies report in which HNW identified a series of emerging development options. These options focused on a range of housing typologies and various commercial and community space elements.
- Market engagement
HBC sought to engage the market to understand how the Priory Street sites as a whole could be brought forward to best meet the identified main overriding objectives and site objectives. Subsequently, a market engagement process was undertaken, which aimed to understand how the market regarded the redevelopment potential for the site, the various delivery approaches and the appetite for potentially partnering with HBC. Furthermore, it aimed to help shape what role HBC should best assume through any regeneration process.
31ten, alongside HBC, prepared a list of organisations covering a range of developer types known for delivering this type of project. The identified group was issued with a Market Engagement Brief, which defined the project and highlighted core questions for them to consider.
- Modelled viability and reviewed delivery models
31ten assessed the viability position arising from the emerging development options prepared by HNW architects. The viability review focused on calculating a Residual Land Value (RLV) for each development options, across a range of affordable housing allocation scenarios. Associated with this viability assessment and the findings from the market engagement, various delivery models were explored and assessed.
Key Outcomes
- A range of regeneration options were generated and comprehensively assessed. A preferred option and delivery route were identified that closely reflected the market engagement whilst also staying true to the Council’s refreshed project objectives.
- A prioritised action plan was developed to clearly establish the key next steps, covering areas such as land assembly, ongoing stakeholder and funding engagement and progression of the preferred scheme and delivery approach.
- In summary, HBC obtained a set of refreshed and robust project objectives that were in line with the Corporate Plan, a site and building analysis report, an option feasibility design report, a market engagement report, option viability report with sensitivity analysis, risk schedule/register and the prioritised action plan outlined above.
What the client said…
31ten provided valuable support throughout what has been, and continues to be, a challenging and evolving regeneration project. From the outset, their facilitation of workshops with senior stakeholders from across the Council helped us establish a clear set of objectives and build alignment around the future direction of the project.
The team took the time to understand the local context, the site’s particular challenges and the Council’s priorities. The design proposals were clear, pragmatic and informed by market realities, with a strong focus on delivering new housing while also considering opportunities to enhance the public realm and wider town centre environment. These proposals helped shape productive discussions around the future of the sites and provided a sound basis for assessing redevelopment opportunities.
Their viability modelling was especially helpful in testing different development options and giving us a clearer understanding of what could realistically be delivered. The work they undertook with landowners, alongside testing market appetite and potential delivery approaches, provided valuable insight and helped shape our thinking on the most appropriate route forward.
Throughout the commission, 31ten were collaborative, responsive and pragmatic, helping us work through a range of complexities including multiple landownerships, land assembly challenges and changing market conditions. While the project remains complex and continues to evolve, their advice has helped us identify a realistic way forward and provided a strong foundation for the next stage of work.
Joseph Brown, Town Investment Manager, Hastings Borough Council
We left HBC with a focused, prioritised, set of key next steps to bring these sites forwards, based on a robust site analysis and market engagement evidence base. Our sector experience enabled us to deliver this quickly and efficiently and in line with HBC's requirements. The HBC team were a pleasure to work with and we look forward to continuing our relationship.
Nick Walford
Director and programme lead, 31ten
