SPOTLIGHT: When is Fort Fun re-opening?
- Rebecca Maer
- July 31, 2024
Prominent seafront site Fort Fun is on the verge of partially re-opening with the revamped indoor play area. The company developing the site is about to finally sign a five-year lease with Eastbourne Borough Council. The refurbishment has been dogged by legal delays and repeated anti-social behaviour at the former fun park. Vandals have […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: Controversial flats plan reduced by just one storey
- Rebecca Maer
- July 24, 2024
A controversial seven-storey “oversized” coastal retirement scheme will be lowered by just one floor, according to a revised planning application. The new plan for the plot on the western edge of Sovereign Harbour also reduces the number of apartments by eight to 128 and changes the appearance of the building. But the residents’ association would […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: Government £20 million town fund for Eastbourne at risk after election
- Rebecca Maer
- July 2, 2024
The only guarantee that Eastbourne would receive a promised £20 million over the next ten years is if there is a Conservative MP in the town and a Conservative government after the general election, a hustings meeting heard. In contrast, the Labour candidate called the Government’s Towns Fund “an absolutely corrupt scheme” and said it […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: How green are our general election candidates?
- Rebecca Maer
- June 20, 2024
All six candidates in Eastbourne standing in the general election were put through their paces at an environmental hustings meeting in the town last night. They answered questions on improving public transport, cycling and walking routes, on clean energy and on sea water quality. Organiser Gem Aellah, chair of Bespoke Cycle Group, told the meeting […]
Read MoreNo news is bad news – the future of the Eastbourne Reporter is in your hands
- Rebecca Maer
- June 3, 2024
The Eastbourne Reporter has interviewed a huge range of people to produce around 100 news features in the last two years which shine a light on our town. You will not read anything like these anywhere else; the features are based on extensive research and the essence of journalism – asking questions. The features are […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: More doctors, easier booking and better phone system promised by GP surgery
- Rebecca Maer
- May 28, 2024
Four more doctors are joining the Victoria Medical Centre in Old Town to help address the huge problems patients face in trying to see a GP. The centre is also pledging to release non-urgent appointments more frequently and would mke them available every three days to make it easier to book ahead. And, in an […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: An artist’s view of the Turner Prize legacy
- Rebecca Maer
- April 24, 2024
The arrival of the prestigious Turner Prize in Eastbourne attracted worldwide attention and drew thousands of visitors to see the work of four artists at the Towner gallery. But beyond the whirl of activity and the televised prize ceremony, there have been projects involving the people of Eastbourne running quietly in the background. One of […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: The fight for an appointment at the Victoria Medical Centre
- Rebecca Maer
- April 4, 2024
When Shereen Soliman’s mother-in-law was staying with her in Staffordshire, she wanted to see her own doctor in Eastbourne at the Victoria Medical Centre (VMC) about her chronic lung condition. So Shereen, 39, drove her mother-in-law, who wants to remain anonymous, 230 miles back to the East Sussex coast, only to find she could not get […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: Harbour flats plan sent back to the drawing board
- Rebecca Maer
- March 19, 2024
The developer of a controversial seven-storey development of around 130 retirement seaside apartments must make changes to secure planning permission. Eastbourne Borough Council’s planning committee voted unanimously in a show of cross-party unity last night to defer the planning application for a site on the western edge of Sovereign Harbour. The main points of contention […]
Read MoreSPOTLIGHT: “We lost £150,000 in funding because of two-year council delay”
- Rebecca Maer
- March 13, 2024
A sports coach working to upgrade facilities in a park has said a delay of two years by Eastbourne Borough Council in agreeing an important lease meant the project missed out on £150,000 in funding. Craig Wells first had the idea for a modest scheme which could transform the Old Town recreation ground during lockdown. He […]
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