AS Eastbourne enters the busiest time of year for hotels and shops, there is relief as East Sussex County Council tells Eastbourne News that the roadworks on Grand Parade will be lifted for events.
Works to pedestrianise the top of Terminus Road, known as Victoria Place, have seen the closure of the road between Grand Parade and Seaside Road, and there were worries the town would suffer as thousands of people attend large events such as the forthcoming Eastbourne Carnival this month.
Alongside local businesses, Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde called for an immediate suspension and summer pause in the works as delays in the project would cause unacceptable problems to the busy summer season.
The Victoria Place Stakeholder Group, which includes the MP, traders from Victoria Place, the Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, the Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce, and Your Eastbourne Business Improvement District wrote to East Sussex County Council demanding a temporary pause to the works, following delays by its contractor Balfour Beatty.
This demand is a result of concerns that extended disruption to the area risks severely harming businesses during their most critical trading period of the year.
It also follows the acceptance from East Sussex County Council that the scheme ‘has been slower than anticipated’ and that ‘the construction of the scheme should have been further advanced by now’, the MP says. The works are scheduled to finish in December.
The group’s call for a delay comes amid the Government granting a 3-month extension to ‘Levelling Up’ projects like the pedestrianisation of Victoria Place.
Eastbourne’s MP Josh Babarinde said: “While I fully support the ambition to improve our town centre, East Sussex County Council’s shambolic delays in the summer would be unacceptable and harmful to our town.
“As a result, I am standing with local traders in calling for East Sussex County Council to suspend works over the summer without delay, and to resume construction after the busy season.”
Local trader Katerina Tutt, of Qualisea, said: “After several years of setbacks, this is the final nail in the coffin. Despite repeated promises from the County Council, the works are already behind schedule. Had we known the true impact, we would never have agreed to this. This is down to the total mismanagement of East Sussex County Council. And we won’t allow it as traders to continue”.
An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “The scheme to pedestrianise Victoria Place is part of an important improvement project to create a vibrant and attractive town centre, which will encourage more people to visit Eastbourne and bring a welcome boost to the local economy.
“We appreciate the disruption these works are causing and are aware of the concerns raised by local traders. Our contractors are doing everything they can to minimise the disruption as much as possible and ensure access to businesses is maintained throughout.
“The project team will be meeting with local businesses to discuss the project schedule and how local traders can be best supported during the works.
“Whilst we understand the concerns about work continuing through the summer season, pausing the project until September would incur significant costs and delay the final completion date of the scheme.
“To help traffic move around the area during the spring and summer, from Friday, 25 April, one lane will be reopened on Grand Parade, replacing the full road closure, with traffic controlled by two-way traffic signals. The road will be fully opened for key events such as Airbourne, Pride and Carnival.
“The works are expected to be completed on schedule in December.”
