Princes Park, Eastbourne, Sussex

Princes Park in Eastbourne, Sussex - a popular site that is well used by both the local community and visitors alike - is set within a residential area to the east of the town centre and its famous Victorian era pier.

As part of its first Green Flag Award in 2011, a Development Plan for Princes Park has helped guide further investment to ensure the prestigious award status is retained. In 2016 the park underwent a major redevelopment designed to improve key areas and refurbish the café, financed through a Coastal Communities Fund grant awarded to Eastbourne Borough Council by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

A key part of the works has been the creation of the ‘Grand Axis’ − a new hard and soft landscaped area on the seafront side of the park designed to provide a better connection with the promenade. Contemporary in style, the area comprises a large open space predominantly laid in self-bound gravel, with sloping banks of planting and low level concrete and gabion retaining walls along the margins between, all illuminated at night by high level feature lighting.

Furnitubes’ Elements benches with plate end supports perfectly complement the contemporary style of the site, with the steel supports painted in an acidic yellow-green to provide colour accents similar to those found in the new ornamental grass planting alongside. The linearity of the hardwood slats also work well in this seaside location, providing comfortable seating surfaces that echo boardwalks and beach huts, particularly as the timber weathers over time.