in 1982 hastings council voted for a shopping centre to be built on the cricket ground and to move cricket to summerfields, now horntye park. in 1987, planning permission for 420,000sq.ft of space for shops was granted. due to the onset of recession, developer speyhawk pulled out. by may 1993, a new developer, boots had been found and developed the existing shopping centre which was then sold to a private irish investor and is managed by btwshiells. a scheme of approx. 264,000sq ft now exists. in 1989 the ground hosted its last sussex county game, when they beat kent in front of a crowd of 1000 people.