Transformation Boost
Council Unveils Partner for Castle Project and West Hill Café
Ambitious plans to transform Hastings Castle and the West Hill Café are set to get a major boost next week when Council Leader Julia Hilton formally announces the partner organisation chosen to work alongside Hastings BC to restore the site into a “significant cultural destination.”
Troika Projects, a local consortium, is expected to be confirmed as the preferred partner when Hastings BC’s Cabinet meets on 2 September. Their bid followed a competitive evaluation process launched by the Council last year.
The directors of Troika Projects include chef Joshua Levy, street food pioneer Celia Farrar and operations expert Tad MacDonald. Together they have years of food and restaurant expertise in Hastings and St Leonards. They were recently featured in HIP (hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/articles/food-drink/introducing-bunka) after launching a series of summer pop-ups and residences at Boatyard at Heist, Sleeper Store and The Beacon.
They will work alongside London-based architects Poroban, and the Heritage and Planning Consultants, Purcell, who have undertaken work with the National Portrait Gallery. The preferred building contractors are Colbran and Wingrove from Eastbourne.
The redevelopment of the West Hill Café and Castle Project is the signature project of the Hastings Town Fund Programme. The Castle, which dates from the 12th Century, stands above the town, an “inaccessible ruin”, whilst the Cafe, despite enjoying stunning views across the Old Town, the seafront, harbour and Country Park, has been closed since 2023 when it was repossessed by Hastings BC from its previous tenant. According to a Council source, the building is in a “terrible and dangerous state” and was already earmarked for demolition this autumn.
Troika Projects will work alongside the Council to revitalise the café. Their winning proposal included plans for a café, restaurant and a new interpretation visitor experience to retell the story of Hastings Castle, blending history with modern amenities to create a vibrant, engaging space for all with an immersive interpretation centre that celebrates the rich history of Hastings.
Their plans also include a new platform lift to provide step-free access from the West Hill Lift top station to all spaces. The ambition is to transform Hastings Castle and West Hill Café site into a significant cultural destination with a focus on heritage, sustainability, and community engagement. Councillor Hilton said she hoped the project would capture the imagination of the whole town and drive a step change in the performance of the local visitor economy.
The castle project was originally allocated £3,450,069 in Town Deal funding. From this, £3,338,000 will be split between the delivery partner, who will receive £3m, and HBC, which will receive £338,000 to support with surveys, planning and liaising with specialist bodies such as English Heritage.
The Cabinet meeting on 2 September will also discuss a proposal to bid for National Lottery Heritage Funding (NLHF) to pay for structural surveys and feasibility studies to make the West Hill Lift more accessible. The 135-year-old funicular which is Council-owned and connects the Old Town to Hastings Castle and Smugglers Adventure, is showing its age and requires regular maintenance. The lift itself has recently been serviced but only last Friday (23 August) engineers took what was described as the “difficult decision to close the West Hill Lift temporarily” due to concerns raised in a new report. With public safety a “top priority” it is likely the lift will remain closed until a comprehensive survey to establish the scale of works required to fully restore the tunnel is carried out.
HBC hopes to submit its bid application by October and, if successful, believes there is potential to apply for further funding to carry out full refurbishment works identified by the surveys.
The projects are all closely linked and together have the potential to transform the area. The Town Deal Plan believes visitor numbers to the Castle could increase from the current 30,000 per year to over 250,000, with a projected boost of 1,500 jobs, generating an additional £100m of investment in the town.
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