The Kingsway to the Sea project was established to regenerate the underused and run-down facilities and green spaces on the seafront in West Hove by creating a new park stretching from Hove Lagoon to the King Alfred Leisure Centre.
Following a public online vote in February 2024, the park is now called Hove Beach Park.
The project is predominantly funded by UK Government.
As well as improving the area for the community, it will:
These are all relevant to the needs and aspirations of residents living and working in a densely populated part of the city.
The Planning Committee granted planning permission in December 2022.
At a review of the Strategy, Finance & City Regeneration Committee in June 2023, it was reported that rising construction costs and the current national shortages of materials and labour resulted in unprecedented cost inflation and a funding gap for the project beyond the control of the council.
This means that difficult decisions are being made to omit some parts of the original scheme, such as lighting and the sand sports area from the plans.
All other funding options continue to be investigated and a phased approach applied to the scheme, so if funds become available facilities can be added.
In November 2023 it was announced that the project will benefit from £1.27m of additional funding.
The new Hove Beach Park will have activity and relaxation spaces, with opportunities for both sport and leisure, including new gardens as oasis areas.
A route will be created through the park, featuring pathways and ramps to enhance accessibility for all.
The park was designed with a target to deliver a 20% Biodiversity Net Gain compared to the existing site.
A new outdoor sports hub next to the bowling greens will include new public toilets, changing rooms and a café. It will be the new home for Hove & Kingsway Bowls Club. There will also be a clubhouse which will make it easier for players and spectators to get to the bowling greens.
We’ll refurbish the public toilets at the Big Beach Café, and the green space will be improved to create a family area.
We’ll keep the existing areas for tennis, bowls and croquet and add areas for padel tennis. Plans also include wheeled sports areas including a skateboard plaza, a pump track for biking, and a rollerblading and skating area which all opened in September 2024.
We’ll make significant accessibility improvements for people with mobility issues. We’ll add inclined ramps and new stairs throughout the park, offering a choice of routes for everyone.
The new public toilets in the Outdoor Sports Hub will include accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility. Additional accessible toilet facilities are proposed at Hove Lagoon and the Tennis Pavilion.
The landscape has been designed to increase the biodiversity of the site to support climate change mitigation and achieve the target of 20% biodiversity net gain across the whole area.
The planting will relate to the challenging coastal environment. It will include developing the tree, shrub and field layers with resilient planting to create more shelter, extend the season for nectar sources and improve foraging for wildlife.
Responding to the coastal shingle habitat species, rich grassed areas and flower-rich perennial gardens will create improved green spaces with a more varied landscape. These areas will create significant new foraging, nesting, shelter and habitat areas, encouraging biodiversity.
The designs also include a substantial number of new native trees such as Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Sea Buckthorn, Holly and Purple Willow, as well as resilient species like Austrian pine.
View the latest drone video footage of how work had progressed in January 2025.
You can watch the video below to find out more about the plans.