Seaford barber closes shop after eight years underneath controversial scaffolding: concerns about mould, water and loose bricks

Gary Bedford, 47, ran The Barber’s Chair in Saxon Lane underneath the ‘Talland Parade scaffolding’, which Lewes District Council called an ‘eyesore’.

A high court order had called for Vision Properties, the scaffolding owners, to take the structure down by July 25, 2023 and it was removed last summer.

But Gary told the Sussex Express: “I just had to get out of there, I’ve been miserable.”

He said the scaffolding has not been the only problem with the building.

Gary said: “I had water coming in, I had black mould everywhere. I’ve had scaffolding outside for eight years and that doesn’t do your business any good. I’ve been completely invisible for the past eight years.”

He said: “I couldn’t invest in the shop because I had no frontage. I couldn’t take the shop forward and I couldn’t spend money on the place and have it nice.”

He said he had not received help from Lewes District Council either.

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Gary added: “The work was okay – I had customers there wanting their hair cut – but when you’ve got people coming in with water dripping on their head it’s not a fair crack of the whip.”

Gary said that during Storm Eunice the scaffolding ‘buckled and twisted’ but he also submitted a photo of a pole that he said came through his window under normal weather conditions when the scaffolding was up.

Now, he said he is concerned about loose bricks on the roof and the possibility they could fall on a public footpath. He has reported this to Lewes District Council and is calling for them to resolve the issue soon.

Gary said his customers are ‘gutted’ and have been sending messages of support. In a Facebook post on January 28, Gary told them: “It is with a heavy heart that I am closing the doors today to The Barber’s Chair. When I set up the shop my children were babies, they are now almost at the end of school. Many of you have been my loyal customers since that time; you have given me your custom over the years and have become friends. You will all know the repeated trials and knocks that my business has faced in recent years and your support has meant everything. However, I have reached my limit and it is time for a new start and a new opportunity. Thanks for all the chats, giggles and everything we have shared. I wish you all well, good health and much happiness.”

In July 2023, the Sussex Express reported that Lewes District Council made a claim of public nuisance to the High Court against the owner of Talland Parade in December 2022 and sought an injunction for the removal of the scaffolding. It was first erected in 2012 as part of planning permission to build ten self-contained flats on the site. On May 26 the High Court made a Court Order for steps to be taken by the owner, including that by 5pm on July 25 the reminder of the scaffolding be dismantled and removed.

Gary said he thinks best use for the Talland Parade area now would be for a new health centre for Seaford.