Councillors in Eastbourne hear update on cultural centre plans

A cultural centre on the South Downs will not be at the ‘scale that was originally intended’, the leader of Eastbourne Borough Council has said.

On Monday (November 2), Eastbourne Borough Council’s scrutiny committee received a verbal update on long-awaited plans to build a cultural and education centre — set to be run by the Towner gallery — at the Black Robin Farm site near Beachy Head.

During the meeting, council leader Stephen Holt told committee members how the scheme, funded through Levelling Up grant monies, will now be proceeding as a “phased delivery”.

Old Town councillor Ali Dehdashty (Lib Dem) later asked Cllr Holt if the scheme was being ‘scaled back’ from what was originally proposed.

In response, Cllr Holt (Lib Dem) said: “The cost challenges have been immense, particularly post-Covid and that is why, I think it is fair to say, it is not the original proposal.”

Responding to further questions from committee chairman David Small (Con), Cllr Holt added: “There will certainly be a shop up there and there will still be a cafe. There will still be elements of that along with the events barn, but it won’t be the scale that was originally intended, I think it is fair to say.”

The committee also heard from Bev Lucas, the council’s strategic projects lead, who told councillors what elements of the project the authority is expecting to deliver.

She said: “We, the council, are planning to deliver the gallery building with the associated plant, car parking, cycle parking, service infrastructure — including power, water and waste treatment at the site — [as well as] the provision for buses to stop at the site … and site-wide landscaping.

“We are also proposing to carry out some works to … the proposed events barn at the site.”

Cllr Holt said these works would be paid for through the Levelling Up grant funding. He said there would ‘inevitably need to be additional works’ at the site, but said it would be down to the Towner to secure additional grant funding.

He said: “We have a very close relationship with the Towner, as you would expect. We want this to be more than an art gallery on the Downs. We want it to be something very special and something that the town can be proud of.

“We are really excited about this next phase and of course very happy to keep the scrutiny committee updated to developments.”

Ms Lucas also told councillors how works will soon begin on a linked project, which is intended to make Black Robin Farm ready for development.

This project involves works at Ringwood Farm, another council-owned farmstead, which will enable the relocation of Philip Fenner, the council’s agricultural tenant at Black Robin Farm.

She said the council’s contractor is due to begin these works later this month and are expected to be completed by June next year.

Ms Lucas said the council is also expecting to begin some “enabling works” at the Black Robin Farm site in January. She said these works will provide “enhanced bat roosts” to mitigate the potential ecological disturbance arising from the main works on the site.

She said the council is expecting to enter into the main build contract before the end of the year and expects to meet a March 2028 deadline linked to the Levelling Up grant.

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