Council 'committed' to reopening bandstand in 2026

Eastbourne Bandstand was opened in 1935

A council has said it is "fully committed" to getting a town's seafront bandstand reopened in time for the 2026 summer season, after engineers found two of its supporting colonnades were unstable.

Parts of Eastbourne Bandstand, in Sussex, were closed in October so that urgent safety work could be carried out over the winter.

Engineers fear the colonnades on the Grade II listed structure, which opened in 1935, could be made worse by any winter storms.

Eastbourne Borough Council is working with Historic England and Twentieth Century Society on the next stage of preservation works and said it is trying to find a way to keep the terraces and shelters open while the work is carried out.

Council leader Stephen Holt said: "We are fully committed to making sure the bandstand is safe and ready to welcome residents and visitors next summer.

"And, at a time when we don't receive any funding from government to preserve the bandstand, we have still managed to earmark £1.2m in the capital programme, including over £700,000 for this latest phase of work, and this all follows the millions we have spent previously."

Historic building inspector Alma Howell said Historic England noted the council's financial commitment and the "complexity of working with an exposed coastal site".

She added: "We want to work in partnership with the council once again to help deliver a long-term, heritage-led solution and to look at developing a funding strategy that will keep the iconic bandstand operating safely and entertaining many thousands of people for many years to come."

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