No capital budget for £1.1m seafront plan

There is no budget in the capital programme for the scheme. The council's cabinet will be recommended on Monday to take 600,000 from reserves ear-marked for executive priority projects.

But this would still leave a 225,000 shortfall.

Director of services Tony Leonard is recommending that this should be sought from grant funding sources, but warns that this could prove difficult.

In a report for Monday's 2.30pm Town Hall meeting, Mr Leonard says Rother has long recognised the need to improve Bexhill seafront.

In 2002 landscape architects Tim Gale Associates were commissioned to develop a "conceptual plan" for improvements from Richmond Road to Galley Hill.

"This piece of work was well received by council and residents."

Rother set up a seafront strategy working group in August 2005..

As a result of working group recommendations, officers commissioned a more detailed assessment of West Parade.

In June the working group approved the design proposals and asked for a project plan to be drawn up and submitted to Rother's executive priority programme board.

The objective is creation of a new, contemporary seafront, to include:

Soft and hard landscaping

Ribbon walling

Seating

Seafront shelters

Decorative lighting

Amenity and street lighting

Traffic calming scheme

Public art

Rother hopes this will:

Increase the number of people using the promenade

Increase the length of the season and extend daily use into the evening

Increase trade for businesses in the vicinity and provide opportunity for evening trade

Provide "contemporary high quality public realm to compliment the De La Warr Pavilion"

Act as a "statement of intent" to stimulate further private sector investment in Bexhill.

Estimated costs include 97,130 for design and 1m for construction.

But, Mr Leonard warns: "At present there is no budget allocation within the council's capital programme to implement the seafront refurbishment.