Latest News

For info on Site 1 plans click here.. 

For info on Site 7a plans click here.. 

For info on Martello Tower plans click here.. 

19 May - WI Newsletter Published - The Harbour WI has published its report of the May meeting. Find it on the Harbour WI webpages here... 

11 May - Beach Work Update from the EA
Hello, I wanted to let you know that we’re getting ready to start beach investigations along the Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay coastline. Today, we’ve been setting up a temporary compound at Sovereign West car park, and over the coming week, the team will be on site preparing for the works. Investigations on the beach are due to get underway in Eastbourne next week, and on the Pevensey frontage in July. 

We’ll be carrying out drilling, sampling, and some small excavations to inspect the flood defences below the surface and assess ground conditions. This will help inform future refurbishment and maintenance of the coastline. You’ll see works taking place at different points along the frontage, mainly around the groynes, with the team moving between locations as they go. We’ll share updates on specific locations and timings as the works progress.

What to expect:
• Working hours will be Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm.
• You may notice some noise from machinery during working hours, which we’ll keep to a minimum wherever possible.
• There will be small, temporary fenced areas where work is taking place.
• The compound at Sovereign West will support the team, with equipment and welfare facilities on site.

We’ll keep disruption to a minimum, and seafront paths, beaches and local businesses will remain open as normal. Once investigations are complete, all areas will be reinstated. I’ve attached a short leaflet if you’d like a visual overview of the works, including locations and what to expect on the beach. For more information about the beach investigations, please see our website: www.PevenseyandEastbourneCoast.co.uk. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding while we carry out these important works.
Amber Carr
Beach Manager,
Operations East Solent & South Downs Environment Agency  pevenseybeachmanager@environment-agency.gov.uk  

11 May - Site 1 Update - Untold Living’s plan for their retirement complex on Site 1 has moved a step closer with these two Planning decisions made by EBC last week.

Planning Application 250302 - Valid From 08/05/2025 Site 1 off Martinique Way Eastbourne East Sussex. Non material amendment application for alterations to fifth floor northern elevation in relation to planning permission 230847 granted on 11/02/2025. Decision = Approved conditionally (Click for Decision Notice ).

Planning Application 250245 - Valid From 14/04/2025 Site 1 off Martinique Way Eastbourne East Sussex. Application for approval of details reserved by conditions 3 (External Materials), 5 (Programme of Archaeological Works), 7 (Land Contamination) ,10 (Assessment of UXO Risk), 18 (Construction Environment Management Plan) and 20 (Travel Plan) in relation to planning permission 230847 granted on 11/02/2025 - Decision = Discharged. (Click for Decision Notice ).

10 April -  SHRA's Response to EBC's Consultation on the Draft Eastbourne Local Plan 2022-2042 -  SHRA's response to EBC is here: www.shra.co.uk/pdfs/SHRAresponse100426.pdf.  
We thank the SHRA members who responded to our request for thoughts on EBC's draft (see below). 

09 April - New Bus Timetables from Sunday 12 April - Stagecoach have announced changes to the bus routes serving Sovereign Harbour, with new times commencing on 12 April. Details and timetable are available on the following Stagecoach website:
www.stagecoachbus.com/news/south-east/2026/april-2026/east-sussex-network-changes-from-12-april-2026  (scroll down).

The changes stem from a reduction in the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) recieved by East Sussex County Council. More info on the allocations can be found at: 
www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-bus-grant-allocations/labg-revenue-allocations-2026-to-2029

31 March -  SHRA Newsletter Published - The April issue of Waterlines, our bi-monthly PDF newsletter, has been published online. Find it on the Waterlines page... 

22 March - MP Josh Babarinde raises the annual flood defence charges in Parliament.

House of Commons, Thursday 19 March 2026 - The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was asked— Private Sea Defences: Charges.

Josh Babarinde (Eastbourne) (LD).
1. If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing private sea defence charges.

Emma Hardy, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.
We are committed to supporting coastal communities, and that is why, between April 2024 and March 2026, over £600 million has been invested in protection from sea flooding, tidal flooding and coastal erosion.

Josh Babarinde
Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne is the only marina of its kind in Europe; thousands of residents, rather than the Government, have to cover the cost of sea defences through an annual charge. The charge this year increased by 16%—way more than inflation—and there is poor transparency as to why.

Will the Minister meet me and representatives of the amazing Sovereign Harbour Residents Association, who are in the Gallery, to hear more about the issues with the harbour charge, and to help us secure a fairer arrangement?

Emma Hardy
The annual sea defence charge is a legal obligation that was placed on property owners in Sovereign Harbour in 1988, so it was introduced under Thatcher and was unchanged under the coalition. It contributes to the maintenance of the harbour and the sea defences on the south coast between Pevensey Bay and Eastbourne. We spent nearly £5 million this year, and plan to invest over £100 million over the next decade. Of that £5 million, £400,000 comes from the rent charge in 2026-27. We have also secured record funding of £1.4 billion for over 600 flood schemes across all regions in England.

The video of the proceedings can be viewed at: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/ee3367ce-727d-4337-9915-2333adafa143

10 February -  Foyer Notice for Couriers - Following thefts from the foyer of their apartment block, residents placed a notice to inform couriers that the foyer is not a "Safe Place" for deliveries. It has been partly successful, with one courier who used to leave parcels there now delivering them to the flat's front door. An A4, PDF version of the poster for printing can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here...  Before displaying it, you should check that other residents are OK with doing that.

13 October - Neighbourhood Board Citizen Questionnaire 2025 - Eastbourne has been awarded £20 million in funding from central government as part of the long-term Pride in Place Programme (PPP) (previously named Plan for Neighbourhoods (PfN)). The money is to be spent over the next 10 years on projects across the borough.

To manage this fund, the independent 'We are Eastbourne' Neighbourhood Board has been established. To ensure every Eastbourne resident has an opportunity to have their say, the Board want to hear about what matters most to you. 

Please complete their questionnaire to tell the Board what improvements you’d like to see across our town. There are 15 questions. The survey is anonymous; the record of your survey responses does not contain any identifying information about you unless a specific survey question explicitly asks for it. The online questionnaire is on the 'We are Eastbourne' website at:  https://weareeastbourne.org.uk/  (use the pop-up notice or scroll down the webpage for a link).

Over time, some news items may migrate to the News Archive page or another relevant page of the SHRA website.