Priory Meadow Shopping Centre

Priory Meadow Shopping Centre is a retail and town-centre development in Hastings, East Sussex, England. It occupies land in the Priory Valley, an area whose geography has changed substantially over time. The site was once underwater and formed part of Hastings’s original harbour before storms, silting and coastal erosion caused the settlement and harbour to shift. As the valley gradually filled with sediment, the area became known as Priory Meadow and was later used for agriculture. The site’s best-known pre-retail use was as the Central Recreation Ground. The ground was levelled and drained in 1864 and opened as a cricket venue, becoming an important sporting location in Hastings. Sussex county cricket was played there for many years, and the final recorded Sussex county match at the ground took place in 1989, when Sussex defeated Kent before a reported crowd of about 1,000. The sporting history remains visible in the public realm around the centre, including The Spirit of Cricket, a statue by Allan Sly in Queens Square depicting a batsman. A cricket ball incorporated into the surrounding architecture is associated with the statue and the former ground. The site also had transport and retail uses before the present centre was built. In 1932, part of the ground was leased to the Maidstone and District bus company for use as a coach station. A row of shops with seating above was subsequently constructed along one side of the ground in 1958. These incremental uses reflected the site’s position close to Hastings town centre and its potential as a commercial destination. Hastings Council voted in 1982 to pursue the redevelopment of the cricket ground as a shopping centre, with cricket relocated to Summerfields, now associated with Horntye Park. Planning permission for a much larger scheme of approximately 420,000 square feet was granted in 1987. The original developer, Speyhawk, withdrew during the recession. By May 1993, Boots had become the developer of the scheme that ultimately proceeded. The completed centre was later sold to a private Irish investor and managed by BTWShiells, according to the available historical account. The resulting development was approximately 264,000 square feet, smaller than the scheme originally approved. The shopping centre opened in 1997, with the opening performed by Queen Elizabeth II. Its identity is closely linked to the Priory Meadow name and to the history of the site: the centre replaced a longstanding cricket venue while retaining reminders of Hastings’s sporting and geographic past. It functions primarily as a local and regional shopping destination rather than as an international consumer brand, with its proposition based on central location, access to shops and services, and integration with the surrounding town-centre environment. On 16 January 2023, the centre was closed after severe flooding affected the building and the surrounding area. The available reference material does not establish the duration of the closure, the extent of repairs, the ownership response, or the centre’s subsequent operating status. Consequently, its present status should be verified against current official communications before being described as fully operational.

The Priory Meadow site has a long relationship with Hastings’s changing coastline, transport network, sport and retail economy. Before the thirteenth century, the land was underwater and formed part of the town’s original harbour. Severe storms, silting and sea erosion altered the shoreline and encouraged the town to move toward the area now identified with Hastings Old Town. The Priory Valley subsequently silted up, eventually becoming dry land known as Priory Meadow. By the sixteenth century, the area had been converted to farmland. In 1864, the Priory Marshes were levelled and drained to create the Central Recreation Ground, which became Hastings’s principal cricket venue. The ground hosted local and county cricket, including Sussex fixtures. Its sporting role continued for more than a century, although competing town-centre needs gradually increased. A corner of the ground was leased to the Maidstone and District bus company in 1932 for use as a coach station. In 1958, a row of shops was built on one side of the ground, with seating above them, introducing a more permanent commercial element to the site. Hastings Council voted in 1982 to replace the cricket ground with a shopping centre and move cricket to Summerfields, now known as Horntye Park. Planning permission was granted in 1987 for a proposed development of approximately 420,000 square feet. The project was affected by the recession, and the developer Speyhawk withdrew. A new development route emerged by May 1993, when Boots became the developer of the scheme that was eventually constructed. The completed centre was later sold to a private Irish investor and managed by BTWShiells, as described in the available account. The final scheme covered approximately 264,000 square feet. The cricket ground hosted its last Sussex county game in 1989, when Sussex defeated Kent in front of approximately 1,000 spectators. Although the sporting venue disappeared, its memory was retained in the design and public art around the shopping centre. The Spirit of Cricket, a statue by Allan Sly in Queens Square, depicts a batsman holding a completed shot. A ball associated with the sculpture can be seen in the wall above the F. Hinds jewellers unit, creating a physical link between the retail development and the site’s cricket history. Priory Meadow Shopping Centre opened in 1997, with Queen Elizabeth II carrying out the opening. The development became part of Hastings’s town-centre retail infrastructure and was named after the Priory Meadow area. Its historical significance is therefore not limited to retail: it represents the conversion of reclaimed or infilled land, a former cricket ground, a former coach-station location and a pre-existing small shopping area into a larger commercial complex. On 16 January 2023, the centre was closed after severe flooding affected both the building and its surrounding area. The available source does not provide detailed information about structural damage, tenant disruption, insurance, ownership decisions, repair work or the date of reopening. Current operating status therefore requires confirmation from the centre’s official channels or other up-to-date local sources.

• 2023

  Closure following severe flooding

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The centre closed on 16 January after severe flooding affected the development and the surrounding area.

• 1997

  Shopping centre opens

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Priory Meadow Shopping Centre opened in Hastings, with Queen Elizabeth II performing the opening ceremony.

• 1993

  Boots becomes the development sponsor

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  After Speyhawk withdrew during the recession, Boots was identified by May 1993 as the new developer of the scheme that proceeded.

• 1989

  Final Sussex county cricket match

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The ground hosted its last Sussex county game, in which Sussex defeated Kent before a reported crowd of about 1,000.

• 1987

  Planning permission granted

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Planning permission was granted for a proposed shopping-centre scheme of approximately 420,000 square feet.

• 1982

  Council approves the shopping-centre direction

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  Hastings Council voted to develop a shopping centre on the cricket ground and relocate cricket to Summerfields, now associated with Horntye Park.

• 1958

  Retail frontage is added

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  A row of shops with seating above was constructed along one side of the cricket ground.

• 1932

  Coach-station use begins on part of the ground

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  A corner of the recreation ground was leased by the Maidstone and District bus company for use as a coach station.

• 1864

  Central Recreation Ground opens

  [1]Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org

  The Priory Marshes were levelled and drained and opened as the Central Recreation Ground, which became Hastings’s principal cricket venue.

A centrally located community and town-centre shopping destination serving Hastings and the wider East Sussex area, with a distinctive identity shaped by the former cricket ground and the history of Priory Meadow.

• 2023

  Temporary closure after floodingOther

  Background

  Severe flooding affected the shopping centre and surrounding area on 16 January 2023.

  Action taken

  The centre was closed following the flooding.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material does not establish the reopening date, repair programme, tenant impact or current operating condition.

  Source

• 1987

  Approval of the enlarged development proposalStrategy

  Background

  The redevelopment proposal was intended to create a major shopping destination in central Hastings and received permission for approximately 420,000 square feet of retail space.

  Action taken

  Planning permission was granted for the proposed scheme.

  Aftermath

  The original developer, Speyhawk, later withdrew during the recession. A smaller scheme of approximately 264,000 square feet was eventually developed.

  Source

• 1982

  Redevelopment of the cricket ground as a shopping centreStrategy

  Background

  The Central Recreation Ground occupied a strategically located town-centre site, while Hastings sought a larger commercial development. The council therefore considered replacing the cricket venue and moving cricket elsewhere.

  Action taken

  Hastings Council voted to support a shopping-centre development on the ground and the relocation of cricket to Summerfields, now associated with Horntye Park.

  Aftermath

  The decision led to planning permission in 1987, the final county cricket match in 1989, and the eventual opening of Priory Meadow Shopping Centre in 1997.

  Source

1. 1Priory Meadow Shopping Centreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Priory Meadow Shopping Centre official websitepriorymeadow.com