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30 October - Beach Work Update - Although most of the planned recycling has been completed, there are still areas that require attention in the west of the frontage.  We are on 7m tides for the next 4 days, and with strong winds and 3m offshore predicted through until Monday, there is every chance we may need to revisit some of those areas reinforced this week.  Consequently I shall make no predictions for when and where we will be next week.  All being well I would expect trucks to be finished by Friday 6th November.  Shingle bypassing of the marina will still be required, but the majority of surplus shingle om Langney beach is still at the wrong end of the final groyne bay.
Ian Thomas
Project Manager
Pevensey Coastal Defence Ltd

30 October - Join The Sovereign Shines Light Spectacle This December - Premier Marinas Eastbourne is inviting berth holders and the Sovereign Harbour community to light up their boats and houses for Sovereign Shines.  Now in its fifth year, Sovereign Shines is a collaboration between Premier, the Sovereign Harbour Berth Holders’ Association and The Rotary Club.  Their aim is to encourage boat owners and local residents to get involved in the light festivities at Christmas to boost community spirit and raise much needed funds for two amazing local organisations: the RNLI Eastbourne and Defiant Sports.

With the on-water illuminations taking centre stage, new categories have been added to this year’s competition, opening up new creative opportunities for berth holders and residents to get involved - categories ranging from the best boat/house, best rainbow illuminations and even a ‘little and pretty’ display.  The new categories also bring bigger and better prizes to this year’s competition, including a boat lift, high pressure wash and launch, luxurious Christmas hampers and dining out vouchers.

With lights up by Friday 11th December, The Waterfront at Sovereign Harbour will become the central hub for residents and visitors who wish to stroll around the harbour to take in the sparkle of Christmas lights and finish the evening with a meal at one of the ten eating establishments.  Also new for this year, a bespoke fundraising page has been created for voluntary donations to be made as part of the entry into the 2020 light display.  All donations will be divided equally between RNLI Eastbourne and Defiant Sports. Press Release... 

Registration to join in with the light display is now open.  Sovereign Harbour residents and boat owners can apply by visiting The Waterfront website or click here for an application form... 

30 October - Sovereign Harbour’s Self Store Expands - Premier Marinas’ Sovereign Harbour Self Store has just completed a major expansion.  Following a rise in demand for household and business storage space, a third floor has been installed creating an additional 45 new rental units.  The storage facility, Premier Self Store, is located adjacent at North Lockside, Sovereign Harbour, just off the A259 and two miles from Eastbourne's town centre.  The facility provides a perfect value for money storage solution – now with 121 individual storage units to choose from and rents starting at just £10 a week.  Press release with more info ...

23 October - Beach Work Update - Although the 8m tides at the start of the week were not accompanied by gales, southerly winds were strong enough to see shingle drawn down from the front of the beach crest in many places.  Consequently, the six dumpers used this week were unable to get the planned amount of shingle up to Sovereign Harbour, both because the crest was too narrow in places, and repairs had to be carried out in others, at Leyland Road and 'The Sandcastle' for example. With school half term next week, we shall drop back to three dumpers and rely on shorter hauls.

Severe gales and large waves are expected overnight Saturday into Sunday, so we have no specific plans for next week until we see how the beach looks on Monday.  As machines will be parked up at Normans Bay East, in all likelihood work will restart towards Herbrand Walk and then move west towards Sovereign Harbour.

Shingle is still not available to be taken from Langney beach and brought round the harbour as there have been insufficient southwesterly waves to drive it up against the southern breakwater.  Once it does move, we will be in a position to undertake the first bypassing of the winter, but until then we shall have to wait.
Ian Thomas
Project Manager
Pevensey Coastal Defence Ltd

15 October - Beach Work Update - We are still waiting for shingle on Langney beach to be driven back towards the harbour and away from Eastbourne groyne 94.  Until shingle is pushed up against the breakwater, we can’t easily access the beach or take sediment from it.  Luckily, no strong SW waves are predicted for the 8.1m tides expected this weekend, but that just means we will have to wait a little longer before we can start bypassing this shingle round the marina.  On Monday, we will be increasing the number of trucks to 6 for one week.  Parts of the beach in the PBSC/'White Horses' area are still short of shingle, so for 5 days we will be taking surplus shingle from the front of the beach crest between The Kiosk and Pebble Road and taking it to the western end of the frontage. Given the distance of this haul the dumpers will be travelling in convoy.  I shall be doing a beach survey on Monday morning, which then inform as to which areas still require additional work from Monday 26 October.  As soon as necessary works are complete dumpers will leave the beach until required after the next storm.  This weekend sees the last of the 8.0m CD tides for this year, the next highest being a 7.8m on 16th November.
Ian Thomas
Project Manager
Pevensey Coastal Defence Ltd

15 October -  Covid Testing - A message from Darrell Gale. Director of Public Health for East Sussex.  "I'm very pleased that a new walk-through testing centre will open tomorrow (Friday) in Hastings.  The site is at the car park of the former Helenswood Academy upper school site in The Ridge.  "This will increase the options for people with symptoms of the virus to get a test, particularly anyone without access to a private vehicle."  It adds to the other sites in East Sussex where you can book a test:  Devonshire Park car park in Eastbourne, Plumpton Racecourse and Wainwright Road in Bexhill.  In addition, a mobile testing unit will be at County Hall in St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes from tomorrow to Sunday (Oct 16-18) offering walk-through and drive-through tests." Book a test if you have symptoms at: ww.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by phoning 119.

13 October - Harbour Halloween - With Covid still posing a serious risk, now is not the time to knock on doors to 'Trick or Treat' – but we can still have some spooky fun in the Harbour this Halloween, and here’s a suggestion from a Harbour resident you may like.  Let’s get creative: stuff a spooky scarecrow, paint a devilish drawing, cut out a spooky spider or carve a petrifying pumpkin.  There are plenty of things we could do on these long lockdown evenings - and great fun for children during the half term holiday.  Display your Halloween creations in your windows or gardens, then on Saturday 31st October residents and families can stroll around the harbour in search of eerie exhibits.  Maybe award treats to your children for the exhibits they spot.  We hope many residents will join in the fun and make this a HAPPY HARBOUR HALLOWEEN!  Click here for a poster...  

11 October - Consultation on proposed fortnightly refuse collections - Eastbourne Borough Council is proposing to make changes to the waste and recycling service, moving from weekly to alternate weekly collections.  Under the new arrangements your collections would still happen on the same day of the week, but would alternate between waste one week and recycling the next.  The council would like to know how this would affect you.  The aim of the change is to increase the amount of waste recycled in Eastbourne where the recycle rate currently stands at around 35% against a national target of 50%.   There is clear evidence from other local authorities that moving to alternate weekly collections increases recycling.  Eastbourne is one of the few remaining local authorities in the UK which still collects non-recyclable refuse weekly.  Click here to complete the survey...  The closing date is Monday 21st December 2020 at 5pm.  Click here for a FAQ about the proposals...  

02 October - Beach Work Update -Every month this summer had at least one gale, so as a result there is shingle to be moved in many places along the frontage.  Normally at the start of October the first work phase involves bypassing shingle round Sovereign Harbour. However, several periods of easterly winds have driven shingle away from the southern breakwater and built it up against the final Eastbourne groyne, where there is no beach access. Instead we will have to wait until southwesterly conditions re-impose themselves before we attempt to extract this material.
Instead, we will recycle shingle from Cooden and Normans Bay back along the frontage to Herbrand Walk, Normans Bay East and Beachlands.  After that, sediment from near the Environment Agency depot and elsewhere in the village will be moved to Old Martello Road.  Of course, any storms that occur in the meantime could necessitate a change of plans.   That we already have a named storm for winter 2020-21 (Storm Alex, named by the French Met Office) perhaps does not bode well for the rest of the season.  I will try to provide an update each week as machines generally work from east to west from Cooden to Sovereign Harbour.
Ian Thomas
Project Manager
Pevensey Coastal Defence Ltd

20 September - Public Spaces Protection Orders - Dog on Leads - EBC have issued notification of a public consultation on the curent orders.  The EBC announcement notes that, “The current PSPOs were established in 2017 and last three years. They will cease to have effect on Friday 27 November 2020 unless extended before then.  We are proposing to extend the current six PSPOs on a like-for-like basis for a further three year period ending in November 2023 and are consulting over these proposals”.  To find out more and to respond to the on-line survey, please click on this link to the EBC website.  The closing date for responses is Tuesday 13 October 2020 at 5pm. 
Under the current Sovereign Harbour Dogs on Leads PSPO, on most walkways around Sovereign Harbour, dog walkers are required keep their dogs on a lead or risk a fine of between £75 and £1,000.  The affected areas are most of the pathways around the inner harbours and the outer harbour prom beside Macquarie Quay.  Please click here to see maps showing the current restricted areas.   The current PSPO does not apply to the following areas:
• the curved outer harbour prom between the locks and the Martello Tower
• the path beside The Piazza from the locks up to the South Bridge
• the paths around the South Harbour water feature
• the North Harbour beach prom from Macquarie Quay to the camp site
• Port Moresby Place public area at the top of North Harbour.
If you feel all or any of the above areas, or any other pathways, not currently covered by the PSPO ought to be included when the Order is renewed, then you should make this clear in the ‘comments’ areas provided in the survey.

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