Old Town Boating Lake Makeover
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN
The Old Town Boating Lake has been a popular feature of Hastings seafront for almost a hundred years. Opened in 1933 to plans drawn up by Borough Engineer Sidney Little – a figure widely credited with almost single-handedly reshaping the town in the aftermath of the First World War – the lake was part of a broader transformation that also included the Carlisle Parade Underground Car Park, Bottle Alley, and the iconic bus shelters dotted along the seafront.
Originally almost twice its current size, the lake featured a small children’s paddling pool, which closed in 1952. The lake itself was reduced in the 1980s to its present-day dimensions of approximately 220ft by 230ft.
After years of neglect, it could be about to get a dramatic makeover. Flamingo Amusements, sub-lessees of Novomatic Luxury Leisure, who in turn lease the site from the Foreshore Trust, have taken the first step in the restoration by appointing family-run chartered surveyors Hawkins & Hawkins to lead the renovation design.
Hawkins & Hawkins have published their plans to turn the site into a “thriving community hub” and gave a presentation at a meeting last week on improving the seafront, organised by local MP Helena Dollimore at the East Hastings Sea Angling Association and Social Club. They told residents that they had spent the past year working closely with Flamingo to develop detailed master plans to transform the site, which, they acknowledged, was in desperate need of rejuvenation. Their plans seek to “build upon the distinctive character and charm of Hastings Old Town.”
The plans include a new “Dino-themed” splash park and landscaped public spaces, seating areas, an outdoor entertainment and events venue, and food and drink outlets.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
These plans have now reached what the surveyors describe as a “crucial moment”, with the launch of a public consultation inviting residents to “review the draft proposals, offer feedback, and suggest alternatives”. Hawkins & Hawkins stress that local input will “help ensure we deliver a community space that truly reflects local aspirations.”
The online consultation webpage contains a series of AI-generated glossy images depicting how the boating lake might look. Unfortunately, there are very few details about the plans on the web page, which includes typos that detract from the overall message.
Residents at the meeting were left frustrated by the lack of detail, especially over when the work would start and how it would be funded. The complex leasing relationship between Flamingo and Novomatic also drew murmurs of discontent. Some traders also expressed concerns that the plans showed a lack of imagination and understanding of the Old Town’s needs, and could lead to an over-concentration of food and drink outlets which would directly compete with established businesses.
Helena Dollimore clarified that the proposals were not linked to the £21.5m Pride in Place fund, which will be spent on improving Hastings over the next ten years.
The lack of clarity also appeared to undermine the cautious welcome given to the plans by John Bownas, manager of Love Hastings Ltd (the business group for town-centre traders). He noted that there seemed to be broad agreement that the scheme would mark “a vast improvement” on what currently exists there; however, without a clear financial roadmap, the scheme risked losing the trust of the very community it was meant to benefit.
He acknowledged that the plans are still at an early stage and are likely to evolve. As such, he called on everyone to feed their ideas into the consultation to ensure nothing gets missed. He stressed, however, that whatever the outcome, any redevelopment of the lake needs to be fully integrated into the wider regeneration of Hastings seafront.
The online consultation can be viewed at hawkins-hawkins.co.uk/the-boating-lake. The deadline for responses is 27 July.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply