Go-ahead for £9.5m seaside work

The gallery will also include a sculpture courtyard and education space

Plans for two seafront developments in an East Sussex town, which will cost a total of £9.5m, have been agreed.

Hastings Borough Council gave unanimous support to the Jerwood Foundation's £4m gallery plan and a £5.5m redevelopment of the Stade area of the town.

A spokesman for the Jerwood Foundation said the developments would boost the local economy by an estimated £9m annually and create 90 jobs.

Council spokesman Kevin Boorman said it was "fantastic news for Hastings".

The Jerwood Gallery will be a permanent home to the foundation's collection of 20th and 21st Century British art.

'Local support'

It will also include a sculpture courtyard, education space, research facilities, a small cafe and an office.

Alan Grieve, the foundation's chairman, said he was delighted that they had gained planning permission to create a "wonderful new facility" in this "historic and important site".

"We are immensely grateful for all the local support that we have received and look forward to our continued relationship with the communities of Hastings," he said.

Hastings Borough Council's broader redevelopment of the Stade will see the construction of a performance space, a cafe, community education facilities and toilets.

Mr Boorman said: "The developments on the Stade will provide a major boost to the town's visitor economy, as well as providing much-needed jobs for local people.

"We were overwhelmed by the very positive public response we've received to the plans, and we now look forward to turning the vision into reality."

Mr Boorman said construction work was expected to start in early 2010.