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.. 

14 April -  Beach Work Update - When the Hastings shingle transfer trial starts this Wednesday 15 April, for approximately 15–20 days there will be daily lorry movements to build up a stockpile of material (Monday-Friday, except Bank Holiday Monday 4 May). Once this stockpile is in place, it will be moved by a dumper to various locations along the beachfront between the Harbour and Old Martello Road. During this time, access to the beach in the affected area is likely to be limited or temporarily unavailable.

To help manage the works safely and smoothly:
• Beach marshals will be on site throughout the operation.
• Clear signage will be installed to guide residents and visitors.
• All vehicle movements will be carefully managed to reduce disruption as much as possible. We appreciate that this activity may cause some short term inconvenience, and we are committed to keeping any disruption to a minimum.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding while these essential works are carried out.
Amber Carr
Beach Manager, Operations East Solent & South Downs Environment Agency

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

05 April -  SHRA's Draft Response to EBC's Consultation on Eastbourne Local Plan 2022-2042 -  EBC have published a draft of the Eastbourne Local Plan covering the town's development strategies to 2042.

The plan considers that Sovereign Harbour could provide over 450 new homes. 26 of these have already been completed, and a further 163 have received planning permission.

Sites considered for other new homes are Site 2, the berth holders' car park on Atlantic Drive; Site 4, the curved section of land opposite The Waterfront entrance (both owned by Premier Marinas); and Site 6, the empty land between Pacific House and the Community Centre. However, there are no planning applications nor any firm proposals for any of these sites.

SHRA's draft response to EBC is here: www.shra.co.uk/pdfs/SHRAdraftresponse.pdf.  Before we submit it to EBC, we would be grateful for members' thoughts on the draft response by noon on Wednesday, 8th April. Please email them to us at: info@shra.co.uk

We also encourage members to make their own responses to the draft plan itself by visiting the EBC consultation page here: https://planningpolicyconsult.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/ELP_R18_2026. The closing date for submissions is Friday, 10th April.

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

11 March - WI Newsletter Published - The Harbour WI has published its report and photographs from their March meeting. Find it on the WI website here... 

19 February - Consultation on Eastbourne Local Plan - EBC have published a draft of the Eastbourne Local Plan covering the town's development strategies from 2022 to 2042 for an 8-week consultation period between 13th February and 10th April 2026. The document can be viewed and downloaded, and comments can be made through the on-line consultation portal, which can be accessed via: www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/Eastbourne-Local-Plan.

The plan considers that Sovereign Harbour could provide over 450 new homes. 26 of these have already been completed, and a further 163 have received planning permission. Site 2, the berth holders' car park on Atlantic Drive; Site 4, the curved section of land opposite The Waterfront entrance; and Site 6, the empty land between Pacific House and the Community Centre, are all considered suitable for new homes. However, there are no planning applications nor any firm proposals for any of these sites.

For ease of reference, extracts of the Plan regarding Sovereign Harbour are in this linked PDF document (click here... ), but they need to be read in conjunction with the whole draft Plan.

The SHRA committee would appreciate receiving members' views on the Plan. Please email us at: info@shra.co.uk

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.