 Arndale development starts to take shape
The emergence of the steel structure that will form the £85 million extension to the Arndale Centre has been seen in recent weeks.
As demolition work finished and the steel foundations went up, the Centre’s new name of The Beacon was announced following discussions, consultations and focus group meetings.
The new name reflects the growing stature of Eastbourne in acting as a beacon for new investments and new developments and is reminiscent of the town’s coastal history and the landmark Beachy Head Lighthouse.
The Centre will continue to be known as the Arndale until the doors to the extension open for the first time in the run-up to Christmas 2018 when the re-branding will take place.
The extension will bring an additional 22 retail units, seven restaurants and an eight-screen cinema to Eastbourne.
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Alongside the new extension, Eastbourne Borough Council has been working in partnership with East Sussex County Council, Legal & General and Eastbourne bus operators to deliver significant improvements to the public realm in Terminus Road, Cornfield Road and Gildredge Road.
This £6 million scheme will see buses and bus stops moved out of Terminus Road and a new friendly pedestrian environment created with widened footways, seating areas surrounded by soft landscaping, new paving and new street furniture including bus shelters, signage and lighting.
Tenders for contractors to bid to deliver this scheme have now gone out and work is planned to start on site in spring 2018.
 Update on Devonshire Park transformation
Inside the Congress Theatre, huge changes are happening as the auditorium has become a temporary home for nearly 120 tonnes of scaffolding as the refurbishment of the Grade II listed theatre, built in 1963, is underway.
To date, all 1,660 seats have been removed to make way for nearly 34,000 ft of scaffold tubes that will be held together by 6,577 fittings with nearly 3,200 scaffold boards.
An opening in the roof of the auditorium will be created to make way for a state-of-the-art lighting bridge. This will be followed by the installation of a new heating and air conditioning system, new seating, new toilets and a new café in the current foyer.
Excavation is also underway for the new Welcome Building that will provide a fully accessible entrance to the Congress Theatre, including lifts to every floor, two new large conference spaces, a central box office, breakout and hospitality areas and a coffee and wine bar with view across the tennis lawns to the International Tennis Centre.
The £49 million redevelopment will create first-class cultural, conference and sporting facilities known as The Devonshire Quarter.
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