Appendix 8: Getting Building Fund (GBF) Programme: Project Updates

· Restoring the Glory of the Winter Garden (Grant spend completed, match funding spend ongoing) The £1.6m grant was used to support the restoration of the Winter Garden, a historic Grade 2 listed Victorian pavilion within Devonshire Park, to its former glory as a cultural destination of regional importance that supports and enhances Eastbourne’s year-round visitor economy. The elements of the project delivered with the GBF funding were completed in March 2022 with the facade replacement work remaining. Completion is forecast in 2026/27.

· Observer Building, Hastings - Phase 2 (Practical and financial completion achieved) This iconic and much-loved local landmark will be brought to life with four floors of leisure, retail, offices, studios and community space. The elements of the project delivered with the initial £1.713m GBF funding were completed in March 2022 with a further £315k of GBF pipeline funding awarded at the November 2022 SELEP Accountability Board Meeting, and spend by March 2023, to enable works on the façade to take place. The remaining elements of the overall project are now complete.

· Charleston Access Road (Practical and financial completion achieved) A total of £329k GBF was awarded across two bids to widen and resurface the access track to Charleston and enable the addition of a cycle path along the access road and connection to other cycle routes.

· Creative Hub, 4 Fisher Street, Lewes (Practical and financial completion achieved) The £250k grant was used toward the Conversion of a vacant building into a new co-working hub and café. The new hub includes touch down, short occupation and longer term leased office space for the fast-growing creative industries in Greater Brighton.

· Sussex Innovation Falmer: Covid-Secure Adaptions (Practical and financial completion achieved) The £200k grant was utilised to refurbish the Innovation Centre to make it a Covid/pandemic-secure work environment.

· UTC Maritime and Sustainable Technology Hub (Grant spend completed, match funding spend ongoing) £1.3m GBF contributed towards the conversion of the former UTC@harbourside building into to include new office space for Lewes District Council and partners, an education-led skills training centre and commercial workspace for SMEs. Spend of the GBF grant was completed by March 2023 with work on the initial phase of the project completed in September 2023. Remaining match funding is being utilised to further improve internal spaces; this is scheduled to be spent by Q4 25/26.

· Food Street (Practical and financial completion achieved) £100k of GBF awarded to support bringing five commercial units back into use in Eastbourne Town Centre.

· Seven Sisters Country Park Visitor Infrastructure Uplift (Practical and financial completion achieved) An initial£200k of GBF investment was awarded at February 2022 Accountability Board to widen the scope of an existing project to incorporate a high footfall retail space to support local businesses and accommodation for the onsite warden. This was spent by September 2022 with a further £84,100 GBF pipeline funding awarded at the January 2023 SELEP Accountability Board Meeting, and spend by March 2023, to enable further work on the project.