Seafront Hotel Award: And the winner is ...

THIS futuristic hotel and office complex could be the shape of things to come on Bexhill seafront.

It is the preferred design for the Metropole putting green site next to the De La Warr Pavilion announced yesterday.

A team led by Ahrends, Burton & Koralek (ABK) has been selected as winners of the architectural competition to develop a regeneration master plan for Bexhill town centre.

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The winning design consists of two interlocking curved structures.

One would be a hotel and the other an office block. A separate structure to the west would be for flats.

Among other schemes planned by ABK are:

* A 300-space underground car park beneath the De La Warr and new landscaping to replace the current car park

* A new L-shaped gallery space at the De La Warr

* A new railway booking hall fronting Devonshire Square

* Restoration of listed railway buildings

The putting green siting of the hotel is not final but sparked major controversy in the town.

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A protest movement was set up and this week the Bexhill Chamber of Commerce and Tourism weighed in with its opposition.

A selection panel comprising Rother District Council, the Regional Design Panel, the De La Warr Trust and local regeneration company Sea Space, chose the winning team after analysis of three short-listed design submissions.

That followed a public exhibition and the evaluation of some 850 questionnaires.

Sea Space said: "ABK's architectural style was the most innovative and creative.

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"It was considered that they had strong and bold design ideas supported by a diverse team of experts capable of guiding Bexhill towards a better future.

"Many of the people who returned questionnaires at the exhibition entered detailed comments, providing a more in-depth view of public opinion."