SPORT: What’s happening in grassroots football in Eastbourne?
With the end of the football season in sight, Daniel Ford takes a look at how Eastbourne’s intermediate and junior teams are faring Eastbourne Athletic took a giant step towards their dream of a historic double after a dramatic 5-4 penalty shoot-out win over Rotherfield Reserves in the Malins Cup on Saturday. “Absolute scenes as […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Luxury apartments planned for Claremont Hotel site
By Rebecca Maer [Edited 4.3.2025 to include comments from the Eastbourne Society] A property developer is planning to build 55 luxury apartments on the site of the burnt-down Claremont Hotel opposite Eastbourne pier in a £20 million project. No planning application has yet been submitted but an outline of the scheme is on Oasis Developers’ […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Controversial closure of vital day centre confirmed
Rebecca Maer, Eastbourne Reporter Huw Oxburgh, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter A centre for people with learning disabilities in Eastbourne is to be closed to save money to the dismay of families. East Sussex County Council’s ruling Conservative cabinet has today controversially decided to close Linden Court on the Birch Road Industrial Estate, near Lottbridge Drove. […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Questions keep coming over Sovereign Centre
By Rebecca Maer The council leader was in the hot seat last night as he faced a heartfelt plea from a mother spearheading a campaign to keep the Sovereign Centre swimming pools open all year. Cllr Stephen Holt, leader of the Liberal Democrat-controlled borough council, was called to answer questions at the scrutiny committee under the […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Sovereign Centre protest draws large crowd
By Rebecca Maer More than 200 people turned out on a grey, cold Saturday morning at the Sovereign Centre to voice their concerns about the long-term future of the seafront swimming pool complex. Families waved placards, children chanted into megaphones and a large motorbike cavalcade swept up, all making their feelings clear about what the centre […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Former hospital could be used to house asylum seekers
By Rebecca Maer [Update: in early February, the Home Office confirmed it was to “walk away from Esperance House and will not be pursuing this site” as dispersal accommodation for people seeking asylum.] Eastbourne Borough Council has objected to a Home Office proposal to house up to 125 asylum seekers in the former Esperance Hospital […]
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PATRON PROFILE: Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce
We ask Christina Ewbank, chief executive of the Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce and borough councillor, about what the organisation does, what’s special about Eastbourne – and whether links with the local council lead to conflicts of interest By Rebecca Maer The further away from London you get and the nearer to the coast in Eastbourne, the […]
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SPOTLIGHT: East Sussex to discuss local government overhaul
CORRECTION NOTE FROM THE BBC-FUNDED LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTING SERVICE: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the government’s Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) was intended to see “combined authorties” set up in time for “the next round of local elections in May”. This is inaccurate. The DPP is linked to the new “strategic” authorities, which […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Motcombe Pool clinches £520,000 in funding
By Rebecca Maer Community campaigners are celebrating the news they have been awarded more than £520,000 funding towards refurbishing Motcombe Pool. The vital injection of money will help realise the vision of creating a wellbeing centre at the 120-year-old buildings in Motcombe Lane in Old Town. The Government grant is for £475,000 capital funding and […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Pressure mounts over Sovereign Centre contract
By Rebecca Maer [Updated 18.12.2024 with council statement at end] Pressure is mounting on Eastbourne Borough Council to talk to more than one leisure operator about running the Sovereign Centre as it emerged that others are interested. Another company has confirmed to the Eastbourne Reporter that it approached the council about the centre, where two […]
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