Victoria Place roadworks 'definitely will impact our business', traders say

Victoria Place – the seafront-end of Terminus Road from Seaside Road to Grand Parade – is undergoing works to become a ‘Las Ramblas’ style pedestrianised route.

The joint project between Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) and East Sussex County Council (ESCC) was made possible following a £19.8 million grant from the government’s Levelling Up Fund.

According to the two local authorities, the project will see the road transformed into a ‘more attractive and vibrant destination for everyone to enjoy’, with al fresco dining, new paving, street furniture and newly-planted trees and flowers.

Works began on February 5, and the project is expected to be completed by December 2025.

Victoria Place is home to gift shop Drop of the Ocean, owned by Ebony and Jon McNeill.

The pair opened their store in May 2024, and said the works to transform the street ‘definitely will impact our business’.

Mrs McNeill said: "As the spring comes, it’s going to make a massive difference.

“Once it’s done, I think it’ll be really good. It’s just whilst they’re doing it, whether we can last through that is questionable.”

One sign has been placed in front of the roadwork fencing, which reads ‘businesses open as usual’.

Mrs McNeill said ‘no one’s going to pay attention to that’.

Mr McNeill added: “If it was me, I wouldn’t be walking down here. It looks like there’s nobody down here anyway.”

Jimmy Keeley has owned Mr Gifts’ Emporium for 14 years and described the situation as a ‘catch-22’.

"It will have an effect on us, but the end result should be better for the street and the town,” he said.

“We’ve got a regular customer base, so I’m hoping that we don’t need people through the door to create revenue.

“Tourists are visiting for the town, they can still come down this part.”

During our interview, Mr Keeley got into conversation with two customers holidaying in Eastbourne. They told him the roadworks didn’t put them off shopping in Victoria Place ‘at all’.

Mr Keeley added: "I’ve never really thought about not making it through the roadworks.

"It’s going to be tough, but I’m in a position to take a drop in revenue this year.

"I just hope I’ve done my calculations right. If I have, I’ll get through it.”

Karen Winter, shop manager at The Beach Hut, said staff at the gift shop ‘have been waiting for this’.

She said cars and bikes ‘race down this road’, and reducing through-traffic will ‘be much better’.

“It’s going to be a massive improvement,” she said.

"In the summer, when we have the pop up park, it’s brilliant. Having it all open like that, it’ll be much better.”

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “The improvement work will create a safe, healthier and thriving town centre, which will encourage more people to visit Eastbourne and bring a welcome boost to the local economy.

"Unfortunately, disruption is inevitable for the scheme of this size, and whilst the county council has no control over rents and business rates, our contractors are doing everything they can to minimise that disruption as much as possible.

“As traders would have seen during the first phase of the scheme, our contractors work hard to ensure the work is carried out as quickly as possible and that access to businesses is maintained throughout.”