Eastbourne’s Bandstand stage could be replaced soon

Listed building consent has been submitted to Eastbourne Borough Council to carry out structural repair works to the stage, mortar, faience tiles, and roof at the Grade II-listed bandstand.

Currently £750k is being spent on essential work at the bandstand to make sure it reopens in Spring 2023. The plans say: “The stage structure was inspected August 26 and considerable damage was in clear evidence. The following scheme is put forward for consideration to completely replace the stage floor with a much more robust and durable structural system.

“The primary focus of this application concerns the replacement of the existing suspended timber stage with a new concrete beam and block system. The rationale for this change is due to the harsh marine environment present at the site which means that replacement of the existing stage with new timber leaves this finished construction at risk of deterioration. In addition to these works, targeted careful repair works will be undertaken to the roof of the bandstand to address the failing waterproofing membrane to the perimeter gutter system, along with repair to the mortar detailing around existing faience files.”

Despite this £750k being spent, costs to fully restore the bandstand will be in excess of £12m. However, Eastbourne council bosses have said it would be a ‘waste of money’ to spend millions of pounds on fixing the town’s bandstand before the Environment Agency’s £100m coastal flood defence project is nailed down. The project, which aims to keep the town safe from rising sea levels for the next 100 years, will bring ‘major changes’ to our seafront, said the council. As a result, they believe spending millions of pounds of public money on the structure before knowing how the new layout of the promenade will impact it would not make sense.

On the subject of the coastal defence scheme, concerns have been raised by the Normans Bay and Pevensey Coastal Defence Ltd. The group had two main criticisms with the scheme – that £100m isn’t enough money, and worries around flooding.

The target determination date for these bandstand plans is November 26 (reference: 220770).

More on the coastal defence scheme

More on the £750k being spent on the bandstand