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EASTBOURNE residents and businesses could soon have a final opportunity to comment on plans intended to guide development across the town until 2042.
Cabinet councillors endorsed the proposed new Eastbourne Local Plan on Wednesday, September 16, and recommended that it proceed to a six-week public consultation, subject to approval by Full Council.
The consultation is expected to begin on Friday, October 2, and will be the final stage of public engagement before the plan is submitted to the government for independent examination.
At this stage, comments will need to focus primarily on whether the plan has been prepared legally and whether it meets the government’s tests of ‘soundness’.
The proposed plan sets out where new homes, employment space, infrastructure and community facilities could be provided during the next 16 years.
It prioritises the redevelopment of previously developed brownfield sites and includes policies covering transport, flood risk, biodiversity, environmental sustainability and economic growth.
Work on the plan began in 2019 and has included several rounds of public consultation.
Government calculations indicate that Eastbourne needs 11,730 additional homes by 2042, equivalent to around 690 properties a year.
However, the council says the town does not have enough suitable land to meet that figure because of constraints including flood risk, the South Downs National Park and the sea.
It has therefore proposed a capacity-based requirement of approximately 4,400 new homes during the plan period.
Councillor Colin Swansborough, the council’s cabinet member responsible for planning matters, said the consultation would allow residents, businesses and community organisations to comment on plans shaping Eastbourne’s future.
He said: “Like many coastal towns, Eastbourne faces major challenges in finding space for new development.
“This plan takes a realistic and responsible approach, making the most of brownfield opportunities while protecting the environment, supporting job creation and economic growth, and ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with development.”
Following the consultation, the plan and all representations received are expected to be submitted to the Secretary of State before examination by a planning inspector in 2027.
Once the consultation opens, the documents and details of how to respond will be available at www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/eastbourne-local-plan.
