Brighton given £17m funding towards two key projects

From Brighton & Hove News –

The government has said that it will put £17 million towards two key projects in Brighton, using money from the Local Growth Fund.

The two schemes are the proposed conference centre and arena at Black Rock and the new Bio Innovation Centre being planned by Sussex University.

The money accounts for more than a quarter of the £66 million allocated to the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) area which stretches from Croydon via Crawley to Chichester and Newhaven.

The Greater Brighton Economic Board co-ordinated the local bids including the two projects championed by Brighton and Hove City Council which have garnered £17.6 million between them.

The board said that £12.1 million would go towards the Black Rock part of the £540 million Brighton Waterfront project.

The Brighton Waterfront project involves extending the Churchill Square shopping centre down to the seafront. The Brighton Centre will close and a conference centre and arena will be built at Black Rock instead.

The Bio Innovation Centre has been awarded £5.5 million to act as a business incubator for new life sciences projects. It will be housed in the £99 million new Life Sciences Building planned for the Sussex University campus at Falmer. The building is expected to be granted planning permission on Wednesday (8 February) in a meeting at Hove Town Hall.