Construction work has begun on Havelock Place - our latest commercial development in Hastings. Due to be completed in 2014, it represents the latest phase of the successful Priory Quarter regeneration project.

Opposite Hastings railway station, Havelock Place occupies a pivotal site in the town centre. The 24,000 sq.ft scheme is adjacent to earlier buildings by the practice at Priory Quarter, and will develop the composition opposite the station plaza to provide an attractive new gateway to Hastings. Commissioned by Sea Change Sussex, the East Sussex economic development company, the development will provide additional high quality office space alongside retail and leisure use at street level.

The architectural composition of the five storey building has several distinct elements. Along Havelock Road a layered masonry façade with a colonnade element runs towards the town centre. This forms an attractive new frontage and continues the architectural language of the neighbouring building - also by Proctor and Matthews. Above the colonnade, the predominant material to third floor level is brick, with perforated panels providing an interesting rhythm and breaking up the facade. The upper two storeys are stepped back and form an elegant glazed pavilion that crowns the building.

Other buildings designed by Proctor and Matthews at Priory Quarter include the neighbouring 44,833 sq.ft One Priory Square, completed in 2009 and now occupied by Saga. At the southern end of Priory Quarter, we are completing a major new building for the University of Brighton, which is due to open later this year. Havelock Place represents the latest in our growing portfolio of commercial buildings, and a pivotal piece of the jigsaw at Priory Quarter. We’re very proud of our work in Hastings, and the important role Priory Quarter is playing in the ongoing regeneration of the town. This latest phase will enhance that success and we are looking forward to its completion in 2014.