Council to build new affordable homes

Councillors have agreed to buy Eastbourne’s disused magistrates court to create new affordable homes.

The new affordable homes scheme received the go-ahead last night (Wednesday, 20 March) at a Cabinet meeting.

The council will purchase the former magistrates court in Old Orchard Road, which has been vacant since its closure in 2017. The current owner is Homes England which took over the site from the Ministry of Justice.

Councillor Alan Shuttleworth, Cabinet Lead for Direct Assistant Services, said: “This is an ideal opportunity to acquire a sizeable area of land in Eastbourne town centre to build much-needed homes, for which demand is ever growing.

“It is a priority for us to provide good quality, affordable housing that helps meets the needs of people in our community.”

Once the land is bought, a full business case will be developed and a final design will be drawn up.

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