BRIGHTON’S newest Lane is open for business.

Bright sunshine and a bank holiday atmosphere added to the buzz yesterday as Hannington Lane was finally revealed to the public.

Locals and tourists alike took their first steps into the street, which is part of the major Hanningtons redevelopment project.

It has been two years in the making and people are excited to see the bustling shopping area return to its former glory.

The “jewel in the crown” of the area is the Flint House, the latest venture from the Gingerman Restaurant Group, which opened to the public yesterday.

One passer-by said: “I’m down from Wimbledon working on projects around Brighton and when I realised this was newly open I thought I’d swing by and have a look.

“I definitely want to visit Flint House – it all looks very nice.”

Alex Simitsis, owner of Olive Grove restaurant in nearby Meeting House Lane, is delighted to see the area bustling with life.

He said: “I like this new place a lot.

“I was here for what it was before and I much prefer what it is now.

“I’ve owned this restaurant since September 2015 so I’ve been here nearly five years.

“I’m very excited for the future as now more people can visit my restaurant. The whole place looks very nice.”

Brighton resident Andrew Eton was also impressed.

He said: “It looks really nice, the colours are eye-catching, especially the reds. I’m really drawn to the red shop.

“The Lanes have been a bit grubby and manky before but this looks really good.

“I really hope it boosts the local economy – small businesses will love it here, even though it’s not cheap living in Brighton.”

Sarah McHugh, was busy painting a picture of the new scene.

Sarah, who lives in Brighton, said: “I am so excited about this.

“It’s been completely transformed. I saw a couple of people go past and say they’d lived in Brighton all their lives and never noticed this place.

“I can’t wait for everywhere to open, the inside of the shops look great.

“I can see all of the tourists checking it out already and there’s not much here yet.

“It’s really pretty. People can get away from the pollution and it’ll be lovely to sit on the terrace in the Flint House.

“I usually complain about the council but they’ve done a great job here.”

Sue Lindfield, also from the city, works nearby.

She said: “It looks beautiful, I work in Market Street and it should help increase footfall around the Lanes.

“The garden wall looks fantastic. I hope the local economy sees the benefits.

“The Flint House is going to be really popular, it’s in a great place.”

Redevco and its main contractor Westridge have been working hard on the creation of the city’s new shopping and cultural quarter.

Hot on the heels of the Flint House will be independent ice cream maker Brass Monkey in a few weeks time.

Watches of Switzerland and Oliver Bonas are also busy fitting out new stores in North Street.

Andrew Foulds, portfolio director at Redevco, said “This has been one of the most challenging but rewarding projects many of the construction team have ever worked on.

“Years in the making, the people of Brighton and visitors to the city can now see Morgan Carn’s designs brought to life.

“We hope that as more retailers open and visitors wander through the new Lane, visit The Flint House roof terrace, see Puget’s Cottage revealed for the first time in 150 years and experience our green wall and exciting new art projects, they will appreciate how much thought and detail has gone into the project.

“We have sought to create spaces for modern retailers to thrive within an already iconic part of the city, but to respect the heritage and architecture of the area.

“We invite people to use the extended Easter weekend to come and discover it for themselves.”

One of the first retailers attracted to the redeveloped Hanningtons Estate was Habitat in November.

It joined shops such as the White Company, Kurt Geiger, Sandro, Maje, Cath Kidston and Flying Tiger in North Street.

Andrew said: “The Lanes attract shoppers from all over the world and our retailers recognise that this is a fantastic and unique place to spend time and shop.

“Brands are investing in Brighton and Hanningtons Estate because they have bought into our exciting vision for this area. We are in detailed discussions with a number of retailers who are visiting the site to see the quality of the environment and space available – and expect to announce more new names shortly.”

The project has retained the eye-catching Alice In Wonderland mural by Ellus, pictured left. It is on the wall of the old Kellerwoods jewellers where Meeting House Lane meets Hannington Lane.