London & South East

Creating Castle Court

Castle Court  346 Seaside,  Eastbourne

A £1 million project to construct a four-storey mixed use retail and residential unit has reached completion.

Castle Court, located at 346 Seaside, in Eastbourne, comprises a retail unit and nine high-quality modern flats. The retail unit is located on the ground floor of the development and will house a new branch of supermarket chain Co-Op. Meanwhile, the nine apartments will be split throughout the remaining three levels of the building, with three flats located within each floor.

Prior to work taking place on the development the site was home to The Castle – a public house from which the new development derived its name.

Funding for the Castle Court project was provided by Peak Developers – a residential and retail property development company that specialises in the acquisition of land for a varied selection of projects.

Hilife Construction was the main contractor on the Castle Court project, whilst Cooke Associates provided all architectural services on the site.

Castle Court  346 Seaside,  Eastbourne

Hilife Construction Contracts Manager, Peter Screen, said:

“Work began on Castle Court on 28th November 2011, we started Pilling on 3rd January 2012 and was completed in September 2012.”

The new unit was built from a traditional build of brick and block from the ground to first floor with a steel frame and a Milbank wide span concrete 1st floor slab, with a 3 story timber frame and a render board finish round off the remainder of the building. The unit also includes a fibre glass roof and UPVC windows which were designed to remain in keeping with the style of the building and all of the apartments include a range of high-quality fixtures and fittings.

A notable green feature of the building is the inclusion of low energy lighting which has been installed throughout the development.

Throughout the final stages of the project the retail unit underwent a complete fit-out to transform it into a Co-Op ready for its grand opening at the beginning of October.

Hilife Construction Site Manager, Kevin Groves, said:

“We have completed this project to the best of our ability, with an excellent safety record including no accidents.

Castle Court  346 Seaside,  Eastbourne

“The temperamental weather which we have experienced throughout 2012 caused a few delays and extended the programme by a few weeks, but we worked around this challenge to successfully complete the build.”

Kevin added:

“This building looks beautiful and we have received some great feedback from all of the neighbours around the site. The building has a brilliant white render, with a fantastic curved window which makes it look very striking.

“Peak Developers are very happy with the work that we have undertaken and this is certainly one of the best looking projects that I’ve been involved with during my career.

Castle Court  346 Seaside,  Eastbourne

“Two of the apartments have already been sold and with another five close to being sold this is already shaping up to being a successful build.”

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