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Next Wave

Bexhill-on-Sea

Project description

Next Wave tackles the currently disjointed relationship between the De La Warr Pavilion, sea-front, town centre and other amenities (including the town’s museum and Egerton Park).

It also aims to give renewed value to the ‘heritage assets’ of the Colonnade and Promenade. Increased visitor figures to both the Pavilion and seafront are anticipated as a result of the ‘Next Wave’-associated improvements.

Much of this will be achieved through public realm improvements to the promenade, landscaping around the Pavilion and creating better routes into town. “It’s about democratising the space around the Pavilion, removing the boundaries,” says De La Warr Pavilion Director Alan Haydon.

Contemporary inspiration

The project draws its inspiration from the design qualities of the Pavilion, with the ambition to create a cohesive seafront zone. It focuses on a core area of the seafront which relates to both the Pavilion and town centre, not to mention other amenities such as the town museum. A key aim is to maximise the architectural presence of the building within the wider townscape. By adopting a Modernist contemporary design style, it will also help to define a coherent identity for this part of Bexhill.

The ambition is to create a ‘cohesive and high quality design’ for pedestrian and disabled access, car parking, social space, lighting, seating and retail opportunities along the seafront. The Council hopes that the improvements will be a cultural attraction in their own right.

Shared spaces

In the central Pavilion area, street calming and shared traffic/pedestrian spaces are proposed, resulting in better access to the Pavilion from the town centre. New public spaces and direct routes to the Pavilion and Promenade will be created, which will also provide wider and more dramatic views of the sea. Decades of accumulated clutter of walls, street furniture and other structures will be removed - for example the rather ad-hoc and imposing gathering of benches on the lawn in front of the Pavilion.

Ramps from the Colonnade will improve access to the beach. Meanwhile, the Rowing Club, whose present premises act as an obstacle for one of the main routes from town to Promenade, will be relocated to a new building.

The car park next to the Pavilion will be reconfigured to reinforce the geometry of the Pavilion’s architecture and to make clearer pedestrian access across.

Outdoor rooms

At the western end of the pavilion, low walls will be removed and a new public space created, linking the street to the promenade. It will be used to host existing and new events, and will be created in collaboration between an artist and designer. This reflects the aim of creating outdoor ‘rooms’, allowing more activities to happen beyond the building’s immediate physical boundaries. Current outdoor events include the two-day performance and music festival Jour de Fête, while during the summer the south terrace is used for Big Draw educational activities. “We want to take more of the spectacle outside,” explains Haydon. “We are looking to commission outdoor projects.”

Russell adds: “At the moment they are making do with the spaces that are already there. But people expect a high quality offer, and the Pavilion itself sets a high design benchmark.” This will also help to increase visibility and accessibility of cultural events within Bexhill.

New shelters

Improvements to the 800m West Parade stretch of the Promenade will include a series of new seafront shelters, replacing tired nondescript structures. A new lighting scheme - perhaps a collaboration with an artist - will help to extend the use of the area into the evening, while Clock Tower Square will be enlarged into a shared vehicle/pedestrian space, forming a link between the Pavilion and town museum. The Promenade will be ‘decluttered’ and new surfacing laid.

Throughout the project, intended materials are of high quality, such as stone and resin-bound gravel. As Russell explains, a long design life is vital, particularly in the harsh seafront environment, as well as addressing issues of sustainability and the ability to obtain replacement parts in the future.