Visitor Ian Carter, who last spent time in the town a few years ago, said he was shocked at how much of the street was fenced off to shoppers.
He said: “My wife and I have always liked Eastbourne and since we were in town anyway we thought we’d have a look around the shops. The Beacon Centre was still a real pleasure to visit, better even than before, but then we came outside! People were weaving around the fences and doing their best, but it was a total maze. I wanted to visit Waterstones but at first I thought it must have closed down because I couldn’t even see it. Eventually I doubled back on myself and found a route to it.
"Probably the worst thing about it was there didn’t seem to be a huge amount of work actually going on and quite a lot of what was fenced off looked pretty finished. Perhaps if you live in Eastbourne you’ve got used to it and I’m sure it will be lovely when it is all done, but seeing it for the first time was a bit of a shock!”
Phase 2a of the Eastbourne Town Centre Movement and Access Package, involving the conversion of a section of Terminus Road between Bankers Corner and the M&S store into a pedestrianised area has been underway for sometime. Bolton Road and Langney road are also being transitioned to two-way traffic flow.
An East Sussex Highways spokesperson said: “The improvement work is helping to 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.
“The final phase is nearing completion with work expected to end in the autumn.
“Remaining work includes the installation of benches, bins and signage, paving at the Bolton Road junction, resurfacing in Lismore Road, and some tree planting.”