Eastbourne Borough Council is facing a major challenge over its plans to demolish key parts of the town’s iconic seafront Bandstand, after the Twentieth Century Society, a statutory consultee on heritage matters, lodged a formal objection.
The Council has described its plans as “improvement and safety measures” but documents make clear the proposals involve the demolition of the upper balcony, part of the middle balcony and the iconic shelter columns, a move heritage experts say lacks proper justification.
In its objection, the Twentieth Century Society warns there is “no indication that alternative options have been explored in detail” and criticises the Council for failing to give “great weight” to preserving original features, as required by national policy.
The Society has recommended commissioning a conservation management plan and warned the scheme sets a “dangerous precedent for demolition over repair” at this Grade II listed landmark.
Meads Cllr Robert Smart, who sits on the Council’s Conservation Advisory Group, said:
“With such a profound proposal, we need to see evidence that all alternatives have been properly costed and considered without discounting options because of the Council’s financial predicament. This building is part of Eastbourne’s identity, and we need the right long-term solution, not the cheapest quick fix. At the moment, the evidence simply isn’t there.
It’s astonishing that opposition councillors were only briefed at the last minute and shown around by an employee from a demolition firm, talking as if it was a done deal. For a building of this significance, decisions should be open, transparent, and involve elected representatives, not treated as a fait accompli.”
Conservative councillors have also criticised the Council for misleading residents by presenting the scheme as an ‘improvement project’ when its own plans contain no restoration, only demolition. They warn that decades of neglect have brought the Bandstand to this point, and that rushing through irreversible works would be a betrayal of the town’s heritage.
“The Bandstand is Eastbourne’s most recognisable landmark,” added Cllr Smart. “Residents deserve honesty about what is being proposed and why, and the opportunity to have a real say in the future of this historic site.”
