SPOTLIGHT: When is Fort Fun re-opening?
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 […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Controversial flats plan reduced by just one storey
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 […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Government £20 million town fund for Eastbourne at risk after election
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 […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Developer bids to replace one house with 20 flats
By Huw Oxburgh, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service A developer has submitted plans for an apartment building in Eastbourne to replace a large detached house. In an application submitted to Eastbourne Borough Council, a developer is seeking outline planning permission to demolish the home at 273 Kings Drive and replace it with a building containing […]
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SPOTLIGHT: How green are our general election candidates?
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 […]
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No news is bad news – the future of the Eastbourne Reporter is in your hands
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 […]
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SPOTLIGHT: More doctors, easier booking and better phone system promised by GP surgery
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 […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Council paid developers more than £750,000
By Huw Oxburgh, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter Wealden District Council has paid out more than three-quarters of a million pounds in appeal costs since January 2021. The single largest payout resulted from the council’s decision to refuse the 700-home Mornings Mill development on farmland at Willingdon, Eastbourne, which was approved on appeal. One Labour councillor […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Planning inspector approves care home conversion
By Huw Oxburgh, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporting Service Controversial plans to convert a former Eastbourne care home have been approved on appeal. A planning inspector has approved retrospective proposals for an 11-bedroom property at 13 Gorringe Road — a building which had formed part of a care home known as The Shires. Eastbourne planners had refused […]
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SPOTLIGHT: Green police and crime commissioner candidate
By Sarah Booker-Lewis, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter Below are the responses from Green candidate Jonathan Kent, a former BBC journalist who tweets as @jolph. He is pictured above. What difference will you make if you are elected? For years we’ve had a Conservative police and crime commissioner under a Tory government bent on cutting public […]
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