Eastbourne group condemns plans for major retirement living complex in the town

In an application validated by Eastbourne Borough Council at the start of January, developer Untold Living (also known as Martinique Way Village Limited) is seeking permission to build 137 “apartments for older people” to the east of Martinique Way in Sovereign Harbour.

The proposed development would also include staff facilities, a cafe/restaurant and a community space in addition to the apartments.

However, the plans have been criticised by the Friends of Eastbourne Seafront which believes the development would ‘pave the way for the future of our seafront.’

A spokesperson for the Friends of Eastbourne Seafront said: “If this development is given planning consent the writing is on the wall for the future of our seafront.

“If we care about our seafront we should all be taking notice of this and raising strong objections.

“If a development of this size is given planning consent despite it being on the seafront and on a flood plain, as well as all the other valid reasons given, we are paving the way for the future of our seafront.

“It will set a precedent and it will be just a matter of time before we see similar developments on prime sites like Fort Fun and Fishermen’s Green.”

According to the application, the apartments would be defined as “extra-care housing”, meaning residents of the purpose-built flats would have access to on-site support services and staff while still living independently.

The development site has previously been earmarked for development. In an earlier scheme (from another developer), planning permission was granted to build 62 apartments in two residential blocks on the same site, along with ten houses to its south. While the houses have already been built, construction of the apartments did not take place.

The proposed development would be larger in scale than these previously-approved plans, with the apartments to be set out across three buildings.At their highest point, these buildings would stand at seven storeys tall, although the developer says the building would “step gradually upwards” from a three storey height at the southern end of the site.