More than 800 teak folding chairs are being sanded and varnished by offenders ready for the re-opening of the bandstand in the spring.
A group working unpaid as part of the community payback scheme are painstakingly sanding and painting each chair behind the bandstand.
A spokesman for Eastbourne Borough Council said: “It’s not actually costing us anything, bar a bit of varnish and sandpaper. It’s part of the community payback scheme, via the Ministry of Justice.”
Under the scheme, people who are convicted of a crime by a court but are not sent to prison may carry out unpaid work in the community, like removing graffiti, clearing wasteland or decorating public buildings.
The iconic 1930s’ bandstand is undergoing an initial £750,000 restoration to repair the stage and parts of the main structure. It is due to re-open with the first tribute concert on April 28.
However, the council’s planning committee chair Coun Jim Murray said last November that up to £8 million will have to be “found at a later stage” for further restoration work.
Last month, the council’s bid for £26.5m for full restoration of the bandstand and the Redoubt Fortress on the seafront was rejected by the Government.
The Liberal Democrat-controlled Eastbourne Borough Council closed the open-air concert venue last year while it investigated structural problems and prepared to carry out the repair work.
The Grade II-listed structure is having a block and beam structure installed under the stage.
This consists of a layer of steel beams and concrete blocks, a layer of breathable lime screed and the final layer of a timber stage.
Councillors and advisers at a meeting of the conservation advisory group three months ago expressed a clear preference for a timber stage rather than synthetic materials with the appearance of wood.
Conservative opposition councillors have been critical of how the maintenance of the bandstand has been managed.
Coun Barry Taylor (Meads) told November’s planning meeting: “It is a classic situation of poor maintenance over quite a number of years.
“One of the biggest problems has been never closing the doors of the stage. I am informed that is now going to be an ongoing resolution.
“We seem to go from one knee jerk reaction to the next to bring it back into use. We need to look more deeply into the structure of the bandstand.”
The first concert due to take place when the bandstand re-opens is the Queen Tribute Show.
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