Issue - meetings

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

36.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

DECISIONS

36.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to approve the revised scope for Eastbourne Town Centre Movement and Access Package Phase 2a and moving forward to construction in 2025/26 subject to final approval of the business case and project change request by the Lead Member for Strategic Management and Economic Development.

REASONS

36.3     Since the County Council secured £3m of LGF monies from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) towards the development and delivery of Phase 2a of the Eastbourne Town Centre Movement and Access Package (ETCMAP) in 2018, significant progress has been made on the design proposals for pedestrian improvements on Terminus Road between Bankers Corner (the junction with Cornfield Road) and Langney Road, aimed at supporting economic growth in Eastbourne Town Centre.

36.4     Additional funding has previously been secured from Active Travel England and allocated from the County Council’s capital programme of local transport improvements to increase the overall available funding to develop and deliver the Phase 2a scheme. However, scheme development and construction costs have increased significantly across the sector because of high inflation, the war in Ukraine and delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

36.5     Following a comprehensive design and cost review of the original Phase 2a scheme’s scope, the cost to deliver the remaining schemes exceeds the £3.6m remaining funding. With no other funding sources available to address the scheme’s funding gap, a descoping exercise has been undertaken to identify which elements of the existing scheme could be delivered in the current funding envelope.

36.6     The business case for the revised Phase 2a scope, as outlined in section 2.6 of the report, has been updated subject to approval by the Lead Member. This demonstrates that the proposed revised scheme represents very high value for money, with a benefit to cost ratio of 4.03, alongside delivering other non-monetised benefits. Therefore, the re-scoped scheme would continue to meet the original goals of creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment and supporting the town centre’s overall attractiveness that drives footfall, boosts local commerce, and contributes to the long-term vitality of Eastbourne’s economy.