Bayside,_Worthing

Bayside, Worthing

Bayside, Worthing

Residential tower in Worthing, England

Bayside is a residential development located on the eastern approach to Worthing town centre in West Sussex, England. Designed by Allies and Morrison, it consists of two main buildings, the tallest of which, Bayside Vista, is a 15-storey tower that reaches 52 metres (172 ft) and is the tallest building in Worthing. It replaced the Aquarena swimming pool.

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The 0.7-hectare (1.7-acre) site is about 500 metres (0.3 miles) to the east of Worthing Pier, on the edge of East Worthing. It is bounded by Brighton Road to the north, Splashpoint Leisure Centre to the west, Merton Road to the east and the town's seafront and beach to the south. Views extend southwards across the English Channel and the Bay of Sussex and northwards towards the South Downs.[5]

Construction began in November 2017 and the building was topped out on 1 October 2019. It was completed in 2022.

History

2015 original scheme

Roffey Homes originally proposed a 21-storey £40 million tower on the site. Planning permission was rejected by Worthing Borough Council in September 2015.[6]

2017 revised scheme

Roffey appointed new architects, Allies and Morrison, in November 2015. The 141-home scheme with a new seafront square, cafe and 620 m2 (6,700 sq ft) of commercial space was approved by Worthing Borough Council in January 2017.[7] Bayside Vista is a 15-storey tower while Bayside Horizon is much lower and fronts Brighton Road. Once approved, Peter Bottomley, MP for Worthing West called for a Government inquiry into the plans[8] but the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid declined the request to intervene.[9]

Architecture

Designed to act as a counterpoint to the horizontal massing of the adjacent Splashpoint Leisure Centre, Bayside acts as a marker of the start of the town centre esplanade and beach, with a lantern-like structure.[3] According to Ben Cheal of Roffey Homes, the design from Allies and Morrison incorporates features from historic buildings in Worthing.[10] Writing in the Architects' Journal, Ella Braidwood called the overall design of Bayside 'playful' and described the Bayside Vista tower as 'curvaceous'.[11]

The tower won the 2023 Building Beauty Awards held by the Royal Fine Arts Commission Trust. The 'impressive' building was praised for its references to local Regency architecture while creating 'an original and powerful landmark'.[12] It was described as 'a worthy replacement for the depressing 1960s swimming pool that previously occupied the site' and 'bookends the seafront terraces of Regency Worthing, harmonising with their white stucco while steering clear of weak historicism'. This award meant the tower represented the UK for the International Building Beauty Prize at the 2023 World Architecture Festival in Singapore.[13]

Bayside Social

The restaurant in April 2022.

Masterchef winner Kenny Tutt opened his second Worthing restaurant, called Bayside Social at Bayside in 2021.[14][15] The restaurant was closed on 15 April 2023, with the owners blaming 'rising costs' and the 'long-lasting effects of COVID-19 on hospitality businesses'.[16]

Ranking among Worthing high-rise buildings

Bayside Vista is the tallest tower in Worthing.[17][18][19] When it was topped out on 1 October 2019 it overtook Manor Lea in West Worthing which had previously been Worthing's tallest building at 43 metres (141 ft) tall since it was built in 1967.[20][21]

Previous uses of the site

The former Aquarena swimming pool in 2011
  • The Aquarena Swimming Pool opened in 1968 as Worthing's main indoor swimming pool, replacing the West Worthing Baths in Heene Road.[22] Designed by John Attenborough[22] the pool was closed in 2013 and demolished in 2018.[23]
  • Grounds of Beach House - in the 19th and early 20th centuries the site was part of the extensive grounds of Beach House.[24] The site, along with the rest of Beach House and its grounds was sold at auction to Percy Brazier for £16,000. Brazier then sold the site to Worthing Council for the same price of £16,000.[24]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Ryan, Siobhan (22 November 2017). "Seafront development is 'catalyst for 'change'". The Argus. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  2. [2]
    Bayside Apartments [@BaysideWorthing] (27 August 2018). "Bayside Fact #3" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. [3]
    "Allies & Morrison Architects". e-Architect. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  4. [4]
    "What You Can Expect From the Bayside Apartments on Worthing Seafront". 14 December 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. [5]
    Cipirska, Isabella (29 April 2019). "Bayside Apartments: New development is taking shape on Worthing seafront". Worthing Herald. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  6. [6]
    "Worthing seafront tower plans rejected by council". BBC News. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  7. [7]
    "Worthing Aquarena redevelopment plans approved". BBC News. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. [8]
    Walton, Josh (24 January 2017). "Worthing MP calls for inquiry into Aquarena development after plans approved". The Argus. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  9. [9]
    Vowles, Neil (2 March 2017). "£45 million Aquarena Redevelopment in Worthing to Go Ahead". The Argus. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  10. [10]
    "Goodbye Aquarena, Hello Bayside!". Building AW. November 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  11. [11]
    Braidwood, Ella (25 January 2017). "Allies and Morrison's 'playful' Worthing seaside homes win planning". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  12. [12]
    Spocchia, Gino (16 November 2023). "Allies and Morrison wins 2023 Building Beauty Awards for Worthing scheme". The Architects’ Journal. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  13. [13]
    "Worthing tower block wins UK's most beautiful new building award". ITV News. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  14. [14]
    Rayner, Jay (23 January 2022). "Bayside Social, Worthing: 'Riotous colour and wake-me-up flavours' – restaurant review". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  15. [15]
    Pasquali-Jones, Karen (13 July 2022). "Burger King? Kenny Tutt is hungry for more success with a patty restaurant". Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  16. [16]
    Carden, George (4 April 2023). "Seafront restaurant run by MasterChef winner announces closure". The Argus. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  17. [17]
    Vowles, Neil (19 January 2017). "Tallest tower in Worthing could be approved despite more than 2,300 objectors". The Argus. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  18. [18]
    Butler, James (18 January 2017). "Aquarena development 'to add £15m to town economy'". Worthing Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  19. [19]
    Dewar, David (23 January 2017). "Plans for Worthing's tallest building approved by councillors". Planning Resource. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  20. [20]
    "Manor Lea". Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  21. [21]
    "Worthing Local Interest Study" (PDF) (PDF). Worthing Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  22. [22]
    Harris, Roland B. (December 2009). "Worthing Historic Character Assessment Report" (PDF). Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  23. [23]
    "Demolition of the Aquarena". The Argus. 25 February 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  24. [24]
    Feest, Freddie (2012). "Rapid expansion between World Wars". Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
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