REVIEW: Polegate High Street
Polegate High Street should be a delightful place to shop and linger. It could feature in a classic Ladybird illustration of Shopping with Mother, wholesome girl and boy at her side on a sunny day as they visit the bakery, the greengrocers and butchers. There’s a mainline railway station, a church (below) opposite Victorian villas […]
SPOTLIGHT: Station drop-off zone to reopen
The long-running refurbishment of the side canopy at Eastbourne station is finally finishing, with the drop-off point likely to re-open within the next two weeks. The work was severely delayed due to extensive wood decay which was discovered by workers. The area on Ashford Road (below) was closed in May 2021 so work could take […]
SPOTLIGHT: Small change, big difference
The challenges facing the planet can seem overwhelming as we sit and watch David Attenborough’s latest BBC documentary on a Sunday night talk about melting glaciers and struggling penguins. What on earth can we, as a single individual, do? Will it make a difference in the global scheme of climate change if we don’t […]
SPOTLIGHT: Plea to cut housing targets
A council leader has pledged to lobby the Government to change national planning policy after approval was given to build 700 new homes on farmland near the South Downs despite huge local opposition. Last week, planning permission was granted for the controversial scheme at Mornings Mill Farm in Lower Willingdon, against Wealden District Council’s wishes. […]
REVIEW: Little Elephant
When you’re away from home seeking a refuel at lunchtime, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid ‘smashed avocado’. This culinary totem of Britain of the 2020s possibly started when people realised that the chances of getting neat slices out of a slightly over-ripe avocado were slim to zero. And it sounds better than ‘oops, I-mushed-it-to-bits-by-mistake’ […]
SPOTLIGHT: What the land owners say about 700-home plan
Mornings Mill Far sign
SPOTLIGHT: Appeal for 700 homes at Mornings Mill Farm allowed
Planning permission has been granted for a controversial scheme of 700 homes at Mornings Mill Farm in Lower Willingdon – and Wealden District Council will bear the cost of the three-day appeal hearing. A Government planning inspector has upheld an appeal by the landowners Peter and Robert Vine against a decision by Wealden District Council […]
SPOTLIGHT: A new lease of life for landmark
The landmark building which housed former department store T J Hughes sprang back into life this week as the venue for a host of community projects under one roof. Christian charity Living Life Eastbourne has been granted a one-year rolling lease and plans to use it extensively as a charity retail store, a warm space […]
SPOTLIGHT: St Mary’s bell ringers – the hidden heroes of Royal mourning
WE have witnessed many ancient traditions and protocols in the past week following the death of the Queen. There has been the proclamation of accession to the Privy Council, sombre vigils by the coffin and the hearse inching through streets lined with thousands of people. The tolling of bells in churches around the country is […]
SPOTLIGHT: How the Queen built her life on a foundation of faith
WHEN the Queen wrote a letter to the nation earlier this year to mark 70 years since her accession to the throne, many people highlighted her wish that Camilla should be known as Queen Consort when Charles became king. What fewer people might have noticed was that it was signed ‘Your Servant Elizabeth’. It is […]