INDEPENDENT structural engineers have confirmed that Eastbourne Bandstand can safely reopen to audiences without the need for demolition.
At last week’s Full Council meeting, Meads councillor Robert Smart, leader of the Conservative opposition, revealed the findings of fresh dynamic load testing carried out in December 2025. The testing concluded that the Bandstand’s terraces are capable of supporting audiences with existing propping in place, with a clear margin of safety.
The results undermine previous proposals by Eastbourne Borough Council to demolish the rear third of the Bandstand, including the upper and middle balconies and seafront shelters, which were described in council documents as ‘improvement and safety measures’.
The new testing was commissioned only after strong objections from statutory heritage bodies and local campaigners, who warned that demolition would cause irreversible harm to the Grade II listed structure.
Conservation specialists involved in the latest appraisal report that the terraces are ‘performing robustly with good stiffness characteristics’, and behaved favourably under simulated crowd loading, provided current propping remains in place.
Rather than demolition, engineers now recommend a phased programme of remedial works and restoration carried out over several years, allowing the Bandstand to continue operating while longer-term repairs are undertaken.
Councillor Smart told councillors that residents had been ‘repeatedly told’ demolition was the only realistic way to keep future seasons running.
Cllr Smart said: “Residents were repeatedly told by our council that large-scale demolition was the only pragmatic way to reopen the Bandstand and protect public safety. The council’s own engineers have now confirmed that the structures tested are performing robustly and remain capable of supporting audiences with the current propping in place. Demolishing a third of the Bandstand was never a precondition for a 2026 season.
