20 November 2008
At Full Council on 19 November, Councillors decided to terminate the original planning brief guiding the future development of the town centre. This means the original regeneration zone is also removed and Officers will prepare a new masterplan for the town centre.
A recent study confirmed that Eastbourne desperately needs a significant number of new shops to satisfy the needs of the surrounding community. The study showed that the town can support shopping space which is the equivalent of an area twice the size the existing Arndale Centre. It is important that the space is properly planned with the supporting infrastructure and this is best done through a new and up to date options plan.
The regeneration of the town centre remains a firm commitment for both political parties and in a joint statement The Leader of the Council, David Tutt and the Leader of the Opposition, David Elkin stated :-
“During this period of economic uncertainty we want to spend the time productively preparing a new masterplan for the town centre. The demand for new shops is still there and will be even stronger when the economy picks up. We want Eastbourne to be ready to take advantage of that rising economy with a new plan for our town centre. The Council will fund the work using a government grant award it has received for good performance of the Planning Service.”
Officers will now start work on the new masterplan with the advantage of having a significant amount of existing information from a variety of sources including previous consultations with the community. Current thinking is that the public can expect to be consulted on the first draft ideas next summer.
