Eastbourne Borough Council Leader Stephen Holt: Joined-up approach is starting to pay off

Last week I went to a drop-in session run by the owners of the former BT Exchange. That building has been in poor condition for far too long, so it was encouraging to see proposals to turn it into new homes. Eastbourne needs more housing, and bringing a neglected building back into use is exactly the kind of regeneration we want to see.

But the BT Exchange is not alone. I know there are a number of sites across the town and wider area where development and regeneration have stalled. Empty, decaying buildings drag down neighbouring streets, attract antisocial behaviour and put off investment. Residents walk past them every day, and they are right to be frustrated.

I’m incredibly grateful to our MP, Josh Babarinde, whose lobbying has secured £1 million from the national government as part of the Derelict Building Fund.

Funding alone isn’t enough, though. This year the council set up the Difficult Properties Group, a multi-agency team that brings us together with the police and the fire service. Its job is to identify and tackle buildings where work has stalled, or which have become a risk or an eyesore. Too often, one agency hits a dead end with an absent or unresponsive owner. By working together, we can use every power available between us.

That joined-up approach is starting to pay off. Hoardings have gone up on problem sites, and owners are under real pressure to make improvements. Where owners still won’t act, we will keep pushing and take enforcement action.

Owning a building in Eastbourne comes with responsibilities. Most owners take those seriously, and we will work constructively with anyone who wants to bring a site back into use, as the BT Exchange owners are now doing. But those who leave buildings to rot, at the expense of their neighbours and our town, should be in no doubt that we will not let it lie.