14 October 2011
New images showing the scale of the £65 million plans to transform Eastbourne town centre will be fully revealed at a public exhibition in the Arndale Shopping Centre on Friday and Saturday (October 14 and 15).
The exhibition, organised by Performance Retail Ltd Partnership (PRLP) – owners of the Eastbourne Arndale Centre – will allow local people to give their views and have their questions answered by a team from Legal and General (one of the investors in PRLP).
Simon Russian, Senior Fund Manager at Legal & General, said:
“We are incredibly excited that we are able to present the proposals to the public and are encouraging everyone to come along and have a look. We have all the latest images available to display to the public which we hope will give them the best insight into the future of their town.
“We want to receive as much feedback as possible so that we can develop a town centre that will benefit the whole community.”
Officers from Eastbourne Borough Council will also be present at the event as part of a review into the main Terminus Road bus lane.
Alongside Legal & General’s proposals to extend the Arndale Centre, Eastbourne Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, Stagecoach and Brighton & Hove Buses have been working in partnership to find alternative routes for the buses.
However, there is no one solution that resolves all the issues so the partnership has concentrated on looking at ways of improving the pedestrian environment in Terminus Road.
Leader of the Council, Councillor David Tutt, said:
“I am really excited by the Legal and Generals proposals for the town centre. It shows Eastbourne is bucking the national trend and attracting investment in the town. While the new images are very impressive and show the ambition and scope of the proposed Arndale Centre expansion, it is essential that we also identify ways of improving Terminus Road for pedestrians.
“The positioning of the bus stops and the layout of the street between Bankers Corner and the railway station is under review and I am determined that this process will lead to radical enhancements to this important gateway to the town centre. I want to hear what residents think and would encourage as many people as possible to visit the exhibition at the Arndale Centre on Friday and Saturday.”
Potential Terminus Road improvements include:
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wider and improved pavements
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bus stops moved towards Bankers Corner and along Cornfield Road
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provision of new bus stops outside the station
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new street furniture and signage
Councillor David Elkin, Opposition Group Leader, said:
“The new images released this week really will set the pulses racing of anyone with an interest in the town centre. We have all visited other towns and cities where exciting new retail development is taking place and hoped for something similar in Eastbourne. It is a tantalising prospect to think that local residents could see a similarly inspiring project underway in the not too distant future.”
Councillor Carl Maynard, Lead Cabinet Member for Economy, Transport and Environment at ESCC said:
"We are delighted to be working in partnership with Eastbourne Borough Council, Stagecoach and Brighton & Hove Buses to ensure a comprehensive approach is adopted to the proposed development. This approach will seek to provide a better environment, support the local economy and continue the vibrancy of town centre. The plans on display this weekend will show the likely extent of the changes and this represents an exciting opportunity for people to express their opinions and we welcome people's views."
The exhibition is to be held in the former Sony Centre in the Arndale Centre and will be open to the public from 9am to 4.30pm on both days.
