By Rebecca Maer
Is the end in sight at last for the peeling hoarding, scaffolding and colonising weeds on the site of the Claremont Hotel in a prime seafront location?
A planning application for the site of the hotel, which burned down five years ago, is likely to be submitted soon, according to Eastbourne Borough Council’s chief executive.
The prominent plot opposite the pier on Grand Parade has been derelict since the fire in November 2019, which was caused by a gas leak.
The hoarding around it has peeling paint and patched repairs, the pedestrian crossing has long been blocked off and the site has been taken over by buddleia and weeds.
Eastbourne Borough Council chief executive Robert Cottrill has confirmed that a planning application is expected “over the coming weeks”.
This was stated in a letter to the Eastbourne Society dated two months ago.
He wrote: “The enclosure of the site and the introduction of supportive scaffolding were intended as temporary measures and, at the point of installation, I am sure no one imagined they would be in place for a considerable time.
“That said, I am pleased to advise that we are expecting to receive a planning application for redevelopment of the site over the coming weeks…”
Mr Cottrill was responding to a letter from the Eastbourne Society, raising their concern about the condition of the site, suggesting that it was a sign of “a complete absence of civic pride”.
“We ask that the hoarding around the site is removed and replaced with scaffolding which is then wrapped with an image of the Claremont before the fire,” wrote Terrie Rintoul on behalf of society trustees.
Photo: Oast House Archive under Creative Commons Licence via Geograph
Both letters have been published in the Eastbourne Society’s autumn edition of the Observer magazine for members.
The hotel is owned by Daish’s Holidays. The company put the site up for sale in March 2023. It is unclear on Land Registry records if it was sold. Daish’s has been approached for information.
Clearance of the site cost EBC £68,400 in August 2020, according to purchase orders for that year.
Meanwhile, EBC leader Stephen Holt has said his own view was that the idea of a hotel was no longer sustainable but that the facade should be restored.
In response to a question asking what was happening to the site, he told an Eastbourne Society meeting earlier this month: “We can’t continue to leave it boarded up and I want to work with the new operators to find a way in which we can make it look more attractive while we talk about the future of the site.”
Photo: Richard Croft / Creative Commons licence via Geograph
The Grand Parade terrace originally comprised 19 houses when it was built in the 1850s, according to Historic England. The Burlington Hotel is across 13 of the houses.
EBC has been approached for more information about an application.
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