Sponsored by
New offices in Priory Square open
The opening of new offices designed to attract firms to Hastings has been welcomed by the town's business leaders.
One Priory Square was opened on Friday (June 26) in Hastings town centre at a hospitality event for businesses, the community and government officials.
There are fears however that space may remain vacant for a while due to the recession.
Graham Marley, chief executive of Ten Sixty Six Enterprise, which represents businesses in Hastings, said: "The development is wholeheartedly welcomed by the business community. Obviously the difficult economic climate may make it challenging to fill the premises but Hastings provides very good value for money in comparison to other areas like London and Brighton.
"This is the first such development for Hastings for many years and it fills a big gap in the market, not just for Hastings but for East Sussex as a whole. It gives Hastings a unique selling point."
Alan Cannon, director of estate agents AM Commercial Ltd, said once the economy picked up businesses would take up the new office space.
He said: "It's a very prestigious building and anything like that will help the town."
The opening event included music from three bands and was attended by around 200 people.
Visitors could also take in panoramic views across town from the sixth floor balcony.
The new public space lies between Havelock Road and Priory Street, in the centre of the rapidly emerging Priory Quarter business and education district.
It is bordered on one side by One Priory Square, which has 44,000 sq ft of contemporary office space on six floors, which was completed earlier this month.
On the other side is a new caf/restaurant unit, now available to let, with outdoor seating in the square.
Adjacent is the five-storey Lacuna Place office development which was completed last autumn, with first tenants Bibby Financial Services and Tesco.
Priory Square, One Priory Square and Lacuna Place have been developed by Coastal Land LLP, a joint venture between economic development company Sea Space and property specialists The Land Group.
Further proposed elements of Priory Quarter include additional premises for University Centre Hastings at the back of the existing Post Office, a public library; a multi-screen cinema, plus additional offices and retail units.
John Shaw, of Coastal Land, said: "It's exciting to have seen the hoardings come down to reveal Priory Square and to see people flooding into the new space for the opening event.
"With the One Priory Square offices complete as well, it's another big milestone in the development of Hastings town centre as a quality business and education district."
The creation of Priory Quarter is a core part of the ten-year economic investment programme for the Hastings area.
Lettings for the Priory Quarter offices and retail unit are being handled by agents DTZ, Cluttons and Dyer Commercial.
Interested parties should visit www.prioryquarter.com or contact Richard Harding at DTZ on 020 3296 3000 or richard.harding@dtz.com • Gary Dyer at Dyer Commercial on 01424 423626 or gdyer@dyercommercial.co.uk.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Haywards Heath
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
