A multi-million pound plan to change the face of one of the most deprived parts of Sussex has been put into motion.

A five-year £40 million regeneration masterplan has been drawn up to breathe new life into central St Leonards.

It was adopted on Monday by Hastings Borough Council's cabinet.

The council hopes it will achieve long-term growth, inward investment and a better quality of life for residents.

Specialist advisers Broadway Malyan have been drafting the masterplan with council bosses since February to identify short and long-term changes.

There are three key elements to the plan: Sustainable community, town centre upgrade and greening of St Leonards.

They include a mix of social and economic improvements to the area including boosting the attraction of the deprived Kings Road area.

The plan also includes improving the junction of London Road and the A259, a new employment and training centre on Kings Road and a business support programme.

Other ideas are for a consistent approach to design in Central St Leonards which can be applied to all improvements in the area.

Councillor John Humphries said: "The three programmes include social and economic activities, as well as a number of physical projects to improve the quality of Central St Leonards and the environment.

"The estimated cost of all of the work is more than £40 million.

"But Hastings Borough Council already has plans to invest £5m in this part of the town over the next three years, and Hastings Regeneration Partnership has allocated more than £1.6m to help kick-start the renewal of the area.

"We will now work with the local community and other partners and organisations to identify priority projects, so that we can start turning the vision into reality.

"This part of the town is vitally important and I'm delighted that it is to benefit from the attention and investment it deserves."

Copies of the plans can be viewed at 16 Silchester Road, St Leonards. They can also be seen on Hastings Borough Council's web site: www.hastings.gov.uk