Eastbourne: Council seeks new tenant for Beachy Head Story site

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Eastbourne Borough Council is seeking a new tenant for the Beachy Head heritage centre site.

The council said it is looking for ‘an offer that can continue to support visitors to Beachy Head and Eastbourne Town’.

Anyone interested in renting the vacant building can complete an ‘expression of interest’ form on the EBC website. The form seeks to find out how the proposals put forward will benefit visitors and residents in Eastbourne, and how they will help to support the aims of the Council’s Climate Emergency Strategy.

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According to the form, there are restrictions on the use of the land and property – including the prohibition of food and drink being sold on the site.

The Beachy Head Story. Photo: staffThe Beachy Head Story. Photo: staff
The Beachy Head Story. Photo: staff

Due to this, a bid to turn the site into a cafe, restaurant or pub is ‘unlikely to be accepted’.

"This would need to be investigated further as part of the selection process,” the form states.

EBC said the area is due to be ‘further enhanced over the next few years’ with the planned creation of a new cultural and educational centre on part of nearby Black Robin Farm.

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The Beachy Head Story was a free exhibition which explored the history of the surrounding area. It contained ancient artefacts and stories of people who shaped the landscape.

More than 40,000 people visited the centre in 2023, according to former Beachy Head Story volunteer Donald Selmes.

It closed its doors for good in September last year (2024), despite hundreds signing a petition to save the heritage centre.

Its closure came as EBC looked to make savings of £2.7 million amid an ‘unprecedented strain’ on its finances.

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