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.. 

27 January - WI Newsletter Published - The Harbour WI has published its latest newsletter, which includes a report and photographs from their January meeting. Find it on the WI website here...

09 January - Complaint to Plummer Parsons - Towards the end of last year, SHRA received several complaints from members about their difficulties in communicating with Plummer Parsons, who act as the contact point for the Sovereign Harbour (Sea Defences) CIC.

SHRA wrote to Plummer Parsons (now part of the Galloways Accounting group) on 11 December to complain about the poor service. A copy of our letter is online here.... We also mentioned our concerns in letters to Premier Marinas and the CIC.

Plummer Parsons replied to our letter on the 18 December as follows (our correction in the 2nd paragraph): 
==========================
"Dear [SHRA]
I am writing to you in response to your letter dated 11 December 2025 regarding complaints that you have received from homeowners in relation to the Sovereign Harbour annual estate rentcharge.

I can only apologise for any delays in responding to homeowners, however we have had an extremely large volume of incoming correspondence resulting in a backlog which we are currently working through. Our response time to emails is currently 28 days. For the homeowners that have contacted you, if any have been waiting for longer than 28 days, please ask them to contact us again as their email [may] have been missed.

Please note that there have been a few homeowners who have outstanding debt that has been referred to solicitors for debt collection. The board and the solicitors have specifically instructed us and informed the homeowners that Galloways is not to respond to them directly until the case is resolved.

We, at Galloways, very highly value all homeowners and members of the SHRA and aim to provide the highest standard service.

If there are any further queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to be in touch.
For and on behalf of Sovereign Harbour (Sea Defences) CIC." ============================
If you have waited longer than 28 days for a response from Plummer Parsons/Galloways, please contact them again, as it seems they may have "missed" your email. The new email address they used to contact us was: sovereignharbourtrust@wearegalloways.com. If you have any future problems dealing with Galloways or the CIC regarding the annual rentcharge, please let us know. We await responses from the CIC and Premier.

09 January - Beach Recovery Update from the EA Beach Manager - I hope it wasn’t a sleepless night for you all. Our records show that this event was similar in wave height and energy to storm Ciaran in November 2023, but last night we had more South Westerly winds. Through the night, we lost most of the crest through to Cooden and have been working with the tide to rebuild the most critical sections this morning. We will return and continue tomorrow, Saturday morning.

Shingle was washed onto the road at Herbrand Walk and that road is currently closed. Shingle was also washed onto the road at Normans Bay and two beach huts moved by the waves.

The crest is still narrow in several places. With access restricted East from Normans Bay along the top of the beach. We will continue to rebuild the beach to enable access over the coming days and weeks. Please bear with us as we do and we will do our best to limit the disruption and keep you and your homes safe. Paul Levitt Beach Manager
Paul Levitt
Beach Manager,
Operations East Solent & South Downs Environment Agency Coast Road, Pevensey, East Sussex BN24 6ND pevenseybeachmanager@environment-agency.gov.uk

06 January - Road Closure in Town - There will be a full road closure in place on Grand Parade from 6 January 2026 to 23 January 2026 to safely facilitate essential carriageway works at the junction with Victoria Place (where Terminus Road joins Grand Parade). A signposted diversion route will be in place throughout this period. The works on Terminus Road are progressing well and remain on schedule to meet the planned completion date at the end of January 2026.

23 December - Santa Stroll Video - A ten-minute video of the charity Santa Stroll around Sovereign Harbour on Sunday 14th December has been posted on YouTube. You can view it by clicking here...

22 December - Smugglers of East Sussex Talk - SHRA are delighted to host author and speaker Philip Elms as he recalls some of the colourful characters among the Smugglers of East Sussex in a talk in the Royal Sovereign Suite at the Yacht Club on Thursday, 29 January.

Venue and Times. The Royal Sovereign Suite is on the 2nd floor of the yacht club - there is a lift. The bar will be open for drinks, tea and coffee from 2-3pm. The talk will be from 3-4pm, and the bar will be open again from 4-5pm.

Philip Elms was a journalist with East Sussex newspapers for 45 years, from reporter to editor. He has written six books, mostly social histories, including a 365-day diary of happenings in his home village of Little Common, believed to be the first book of its kind in the UK. He regularly gives talks to local groups.

Tickets cost £5 and can be booked online now (recommended) at the secure Eventbrite website at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-smugglers-of-east-sussex-tickets-1978786592967. Tickets will also be available on the door.

18 December - Question in Parliament - Our MP, Josh Babarinde OBE, raised A QUESTION that many Harbour residents ask about their annual rentcharge. Click the following link to watch a video with the Minister's response... www.facebook.com/reel/1398428135200733

17 December - WI Newsletter Published - The Harbour WI has published its latest newsletter, which includes a report and photographs from their December meetings. Find it on the WI website here...

30 November -  SHRA Newsletter Published - The December issue of Waterlines our bi-monthly PDF newsletter has been published online. Find it on the Waterlines page... 

17 November - Remembrance Event Photos - A gallery of photos of the Remembrance Event and Memory Tree Dedication at the Community Centre on 11 November has been added to our Gallery page...

16 October - New SHRA Members Discount - Beamers Fresh Fish, at the Quay Fisheries shop, The Fishing Quay, Sovereign Harbour, BN23 5UY, will offer 10% off the total price.  All fish is sustainably sourced. Fresh fish caught from our own boat, Shannon LI 547, and from our supplier, MCB Seafood.
Open every: TUES - WED - THURS - FRI  9am - 3pm.
SAT  9am - 1.30pm. 
Check out their Facebook page for the latest catch news... https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063627992105

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).

07 September - EBC Serve EPA Notice to Southern Water Over Water Treatment Works Odour  - A spokeswoman for Eastbourne Borough Council said: "The council served a formal notice on Southern Water on Wednesday, August 27, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.  This notice is a legal instrument that requires Southern Water to immediately abate the odour and to take all necessary measures to prevent any future recurrence. It is totally unacceptable for Southern Water to allow this situation to continue.  Unless Southern Water quickly resolves this issue, we will consider further legal action."

We thank our MP and our local councillors for working hard to highlight this issue that has blighted the local area for years. We await to see what effect the EPA notice may have.

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