Eastbourne environmentalist calls on the council to make ‘hard choices’ to become carbon neutral by 2030

An Eastbourne environmentalist said he does not believe the council is serious about making hard choices to ensure the town is carbon neutral by 2030.

Andrew Durling, who is the executive director of the Eastbourne Eco Action Network CIC, also raised concerns over Eastbourne Borough Council’s (EBC) future spending of Levelling Up Funds and its choice to continue with Airbourne.

Mr Durling, who explained that the CIC was set up in response to EBC’s declaration of a climate emergency and its ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030, said the group is completely separate from the council.

He added, “I fully accept that EBC is, in the main, serious about the need to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, especially given the council’s awareness of how uniquely vulnerable the town is to the impacts of climate change. But I no longer believe that EBC is serious about making the hard choices it needs to make to ensure that the 2030 target is reached.

“Why? Because it will be spending the £20 million it received in Levelling Up Funds on projects that may well increase local carbon emissions rather than reduce them.

“Certainly there is no strategy within EBC’s Levelling Up Fund to ensure that its projects will remain consistent with the 2030 campaign, and EBC did not meaningfully engage with the CIC in producing the Levelling Up bid, which is aimed simply at increasing the number of visitors to Eastbourne, regardless of the carbon emissions such an increase might bring.

“It seems that local economic growth is prioritised over protecting the town and the planet from catastrophic climate impacts.”

Mr Durling also spoke about the carbon emissions associated with Airbourne.

He said, “Yes, it’s a hard decision to bring a popular event like Airbourne to an end, but in the context of the fierce urgency of dealing with the climate emergency – as exemplified by the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report – it’s a decision that needs to be made.

“The CIC has always argued for a decisive shift in the town’s festival calendar to one that is as eco-themed and sustainably-run as possible, as quickly as possible. But, again, because EBC believes that Airbourne makes a huge economic contribution to the town – something I have never seen the evidence for – it appears that economic gain trumps local climate action - again.”

Mr Durling also called on East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to help develop Eastbourne’s bus system.

He said, “Eastbourne has a woefully inadequate bus, cycling and walking infrastructure due to the chronic lack of investment by ESCC, which controls the town’s highways.

“Unsurprisingly, the transport sector in Eastbourne is the one sector where carbon emissions are still rising, not falling.

“Local transport emissions have to start falling soon, otherwise the 2030 target will be missed by a country mile.”

Mr Durling said he does ‘despair’ at times and has come close to giving up in his work with the CIC.

He added, “I’m hanging on because there are some signs of hope still.

“For example, the CIC has been collaborating with the Eastbourne Climate Coalition to raise funds for a climate hub within the town that would drive much greater public engagement with local climate action, and the crowdfunder that the CIC helped to organise has so far raised over £5,000.

“I also still do have some good channels of communication with some EBC councillors who are very keen to work with me and my colleagues on some practical climate actions.

“Unless EBC steps up a gear on the 2030 campaign, then I doubt I can sustain the enthusiasm to continue working with EBC for much longer.”

EBC said it has committed to becoming carbon net zero by 2030.

A council spokesperson said, “Since declaring a climate emergency in 2019, we have launched a climate change and sustainability strategy and have been working hard across a raft of service areas to achieve our ambitious targets.

“Plans include decarbonising all Eastbourne Homes’ housing stock, decarbonising council vehicles by 2030, buying renewable electricity and reducing energy consumption, tree planting and other environmental projects.

“Last year, following extensive consultation with residents, we greatly reduced carbon emissions in the town and improved air quality by moving to fortnightly refuse collections, as well as increasing volumes of recycling.

“We’ve also increased wildflower areas within the town, which is great news for pollinators, and planted 500 street trees with another 1,000 planned for planting through next winter.

“Additionally, community group Treebourne has been doing an incredible job, having planted over 2,000 saplings to replace ash trees removed as a result of the deadly ash dieback disease.”

The council said its corporate buildings have also been supplied with green electricity since 2021.

The spokesperson added, “We are also about to secure an EV charge point supplier to help meet the needs of our residents and long-stay visitors.

“Partnership working is key to the success of our climate change and carbon reduction strategies as this challenge will not be achieved by the council alone, everyone in the town must play their part.

“We’re very grateful to Eco-Action Network, the Sussex Local Nature Partnership, the South Downs National Park and the universities of Brighton and Sussex, as well as neighbouring local authorities and other community groups, for their contributions and support.”

The spokesperson also spoke about the council’s success in securing £19.8 million for the town from the Levelling-Up Fund.

They said, “We had to focus closely on the government’s assessment criteria.

“Our officers did exactly that in consultation with numerous stakeholders and as a result Eastbourne will benefit hugely.

“One of the many exciting changes in the pipeline as a result of the bid is the pedestrianisation of the top end of Terminus Road, reducing vehicle movements in that area and the latest development of ‘Food Street’, an area where residents and visitors can enjoy outdoor dining and a cafe culture to rival anywhere on the south coast.”

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said, “We are committed to improving facilities for walking and cycling across the county and encouraging people to use more sustainable transport by helping to improve access to a more reliable public transport service.

“To achieve this, we rely on external funding and work closely with partners, including borough, district councils and bus companies and other stakeholders.

“We recently set out an ambitious network of preferred cycling and walking routes in our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan to support active travel around the county and are working to identify funding opportunities.

“We have also been successful in securing an indicative funding allocation of up to £41,415,025 for our Bus Service Improvement Plan.

“We are now working on detailed plans of how we propose to use the funding, which is required by the Department for Transport before any funding is confirmed.

“The second phase of a major improvement scheme in Eastbourne town centre is due to begin soon - which also supports the use of public transport, as well as cycling and walking.”

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