Macauley Place, Sovereign Harbour

ECE Architecture

Macauley Place represents a coastal-inspired gateway development, strategically positioned to maximise stunning northward views across Pevensey Levels whilst creating exceptional residential architecture.

Drawing inspiration from Eastbourne’s coastal character, our design celebrates the seaside vernacular through contemporary interpretation. Beach huts, sea defences, and natural groynes informed our architectural language and tonal elevation material choices, creating homes with solid ground floors and lighter upper levels.

Our collaborative approach proved essential to the project’s success. Through extensive Design Review Panel sessions, resident association engagement, and stakeholder workshops, we refined our vision whilst maintaining design integrity.

Working closely with the client’s sales team and local agents, we developed diverse floor plans responding to local housing needs. These collaborative workshops streamlined the entire process, ensuring seamless transition from planning approval to construction delivery, minimising costly alterations and achieving swift sales upon completion.

The greatest challenge lay in delivering high-density housing within Eastbourne’s predominantly low-density context. Our client’s aspirations required innovative master planning to create 70 homes where initial estimates suggested 30-50 units.

We strategically positioned houses along the northern boundary, maximising those precious views across Pevensey Levels. This careful choreography balanced density with environmental sensitivity, creating a development that feels both substantial and contextually appropriate.

Our material palette directly translates coastal inspiration into built form. The juxtaposition of solid masonry bases with lighter Equitone cladding upper floors creates visual lightness whilst grounding buildings within their coastal setting. The resulting development challenges Eastbourne’s typical 80s and 90s housing aesthetic, establishing new benchmarks for residential architecture.

Macauley Place demonstrates how collaborative design thinking and coastal inspiration create lasting value, establishing an architecturally-led development that enriches both community and context.