Concerns roadworks will impact town's summer season
Business owners are calling for a halt to works to pedestrianise a road outside their shops ahead of the summer.
Some people fear the works in Terminus Road, in Eastbourne, will impact trade as the town enters the busiest time of year.
Other traders said the scheme, which began in February, should continue and be completed as quickly as possible.
East Sussex County Council (ESCC) said delaying the project would be expensive and delay the current completion date which is December this year.
The works are being paid for by a £19.8m grant from the government's Levelling Up Fund and are expected to be complete by December.
The government extended the deadline for funding to be spent by local authorities to the end of March next year, which some traders said gave time to delay the works over summer.
"Most of the traders here do believe that the summer is their peak, especially the restaurants," Paul Klein, owner of Eastbourne Antique Centre, said.
"I think the roadworks would impact them. For me, there would probably be less impact.
"There's a further extension until March, so it would make sense to pause the works for the summer and continue again in September to finish it off."
Ebony McNeill, owner of Drop of the Ocean gift shop, said her business needed the summer trade.
"The summer months are the most important for us," she said.
"Last summer was brilliant. Winter was completely dead down here, which is doable if we can have the summer months.
"The concern is that this year we won't get that and will have to do a winter. It's going to be so tough."
Obi Orah, owner of Proudly African store, called for the works to be done "swiftly".
"Delaying the roadworks means we will still be here doing it all over again in March next year," he said.
The finished pedestrianised area will have al fresco dining, new paving, street furniture, newly-planted trees and flowers, according to the council.
ESCC said it appreciated the disruption the works were causing and was aware of concerns raised by traders.
A spokesperson said: "Our contractors are doing everything they can to minimise the disruption as much as possible and ensure access to businesses is maintained throughout.
"While we understand the concerns - pausing the project until September would incur significant costs and delay the final completion date of the scheme.
"The works are expected to be completed on schedule in December."
The spokesperson added that one lane would be reopened on Grand Parade, with temporary traffic lights, in an effort to get traffic on the move around the area.
Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
East Sussex County Council
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Concerns roadworks will impact town's summer season
Business owners are calling for a halt to works to pedestrianise a road outside their shops ahead of the summer. Some people fear the works in Terminus Road, in Eastbourne, will impact trade as the town enters the busiest time of year. Other traders said the scheme, which began in February, should continue and be completed as quickly as possible. East Sussex County Council (ESCC) said delaying the project would be expensive and delay the current completion date which is December this year. The works are being paid for by a £19.8m grant from the government's Levelling Up Fund and are expected to be complete by December. The government extended the deadline for funding to be spent by local authorities to the end of March next year, which some traders said gave time to delay the works over summer. "Most of the traders here do believe that the summer is their peak, especially the restaurants," Paul Klein, owner of Eastbourne Antique Centre, said. "I think the roadworks would impact them. For me, there would probably be less impact. "There's a further extension until March, so it would make sense to pause the works for the summer and continue again in September to finish it off." Ebony McNeill, owner of Drop of the Ocean gift shop, said her business needed the summer trade. "The summer months are the most important for us," she said. "Last summer was brilliant. Winter was completely dead down here, which is doable if we can have the summer months. "The concern is that this year we won't get that and will have to do a winter. It's going to be so tough." Obi Orah, owner of Proudly African store, called for the works to be done "swiftly". "Delaying the roadworks means we will still be here doing it all over again in March next year," he said. The finished pedestrianised area will have al fresco dining, new paving, street furniture, newly-planted trees and flowers, according to the council. ESCC said it appreciated the disruption the works were causing and was aware of concerns raised by traders. A spokesperson said: "Our contractors are doing everything they can to minimise the disruption as much as possible and ensure access to businesses is maintained throughout. "While we understand the concerns - pausing the project until September would incur significant costs and delay the final completion date of the scheme. "The works are expected to be completed on schedule in December." The spokesperson added that one lane would be reopened on Grand Parade, with temporary traffic lights, in an effort to get traffic on the move around the area. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. East Sussex County Council
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Port revamp and seafront 'oasis' work moves nearer
A £2m project to tackle seafront flooding is set to get under way, while a £14.8m regeneration of a port has moved a step closer. Southend Council has submitted a planning application to renovate Leigh Port which, if approved, would bring improvements to part of Leigh's historic Old Town. The separate £2m scheme on Southend's Marine Parade will see the creation of a "green oasis" featuring a large green space with a small stream, canopies and a series of rain gardens with hydro-rocks to absorb water and prevent flooding. Both schemes have been funded by the government's Levelling up Fund, Southend Council, Anglian Water and the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. The Leigh plans would see a new quay wall installed, the resurfacing of the quay and a small craft club demolished. Labour's Lydia Hyde, cabinet member for climate, environment and waste, said: "We're continuing to work with key partners to make sure the project protects our environment and is delivered in a cost-effective way." The scheme would see a new surface and trade waste drainage system and the dredging of Leigh Port's channel from Belton Way downstream along Lower Leigh Creek. Previously, the plans were delayed while work was carried out to ensure there would be no significant environmental impacts. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the scheme would enlarge the berth area of the port and make it safer, reduce the flood risk, improve water quality and reduce congestion in the High Street. Ms Hyde said the Marine Parade scheme would be delivered in phases and the first would start "imminently". "This will focus on the junction at Hartington Road and Seaway, where we'll be realigning kerb lines to create a rain garden that collects and stores surface water runoff," she said. "Phase two - the north side of Marine Parade - and phase three - the south side of Marine Parade - will follow, and we'll continue to share updates as the project progresses. "We'll be working closely with stakeholders to minimise disruption and make sure the programme doesn't impact the summer season." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Rundown playgrounds will be spruced up with £1m Seafront celebrates first City Day festival Leigh Port Local Democracy Reporting Service Southend-on-Sea City Council
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Who has bought Nottingham's Broad Marsh and what will they be doing with it?
An agreement being signed for the purchase of the Broad Marsh site after five years of uncertainty has been hailed as a "major milestone" for Nottingham. The operator of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre collapsed in 2020 and Nottingham City Council first took control of the site in July of that year. Work has been progressing at a snail's pace ever since on redeveloping the shopping centre. Work in the wider area has included the opening of the new Central Library, the pedestrianisation of Collin Street and the opening of the Green Heart park. Yet half of the former shopping centre still stands derelict, hardly a sight to entice visitors heading into the city from the train station. The Broad Marsh development, despite its huge potential, was the subject of several failed bids to the Levelling Up Fund under the previous government. READ MORE: Thousands of University of Nottingham staff at risk of redundancy but bosses told it 'has other options' READ MORE: Suspect arrested at Heathrow Airport after incident at Nottingham university campus The announcement in December that the East Midlands Mayor was providing more than £3 million for the demolition of the remaining shopping centre was the first bit of positive news for years. Much more significantly, the city council then confirmed a "public sector" buyer was being lined up and it was announced on March 31 that Homes England were taking it on. But who are Homes England and what exactly will they be doing with the site? Homes England is a non-departmental public body, meaning it is funded to deliver a government service but does not sit within a ministerial department. The body acts as the government's housing and regeneration agency and came into being in 2018, though its history stretches back much further. The organisation's roots go back to 1964, when the Housing Corporation was founded to fund affordable housing and regulate housing associations - not-for-profit social landlords. The organisation was eventually dissolved with a view to setting up a new body that had a greater focus on the broader mission of regeneration, alongside housing. Homes England is governed by a board of 12 members appointed by the Housing Secretary. The organisation's current chief executive is Eamonn Boylan. Homes England publishes statistics every six months on its work and between April and September 2024, programmes it delivered saw over 14,000 new homes completed. Work also started on over 15,000 new affordable homes. Under the affordable homes programme, Homes England has £8 billion of government funding to deliver at least 100,000 affordable homes outside London by the end of March 2026. As part of its broader regeneration ambition, Homes England recently announced a £250 million joint venture with Oaktree Capital Management and Greycoat Real Estate to "unlock and accelerate" huge development sites across England. The partnership targets large or complex sites with the potential to deliver more than 1,000 homes each. The partnership acquires sites to masterplan and develop before infrastructure work is carried out so that a development site is ready to offer to housebuilders. Given this remit and the fact that the partnership was launched in December 2024, it is likely that the Broad Marsh site was acquired through this partnership. The i Paper reported throughout 2024 on anger among Homes England staff about alleged failure's to manage spending. The paper revealed that nearly £400,000 was spent by Homes England on an internal staff meeting, with the paper quoting insiders who described the agency as a "dysfunctional" and "sick" organisation. The investigations reportedly angered former chief executive Peter Denton. Homes England announced in late 2024 that chief executive Peter Denton and chair Peter Freeman would both be stepping down from their roles. Mr Denton has already stepped aside for Eamonn Boylan, whilst Mr Freeman's successor will be appointed later in the year. Homes England's purchase includes all land to the west of the Green Heart, NCP's Maid Marian Way Car Park, Severns House and the former college site on Maid Marian Way. The NCP car park and Maid Marian Way college will both be demolished as part of the plans. Homes England says it will now "de-risk" the site by first focusing on demolition work, with city council leader Neghat Khan having said that this work could start imminently. Councillor Khan previously said: "We've got confidence that once they sign, it's all go, go, go." Teams from Homes England will also be working to attract developers to then deliver the homes, employment spaces and leisure facilities envisioned for the future of the Broad Marsh. The development is expected to create around 1,000 homes, up to 20,000 square metres of retail, office and community spaces and around 2,000 full-time jobs. Nottingham City Council expects overall construction work on the wider development to begin in 2029. Before then, separate work on a major Nottingham University Hospitals Trust centre will get underway soon ahead of a 2026 opening.