A key tenet of Eastbourne's town centre public realm strategy is realising the vision of ‘Driving Devonshire Forward’, to improve connections between the seafront and Seaside Road and to capitalise on the benefits of its position between Marine Parade and the town centre. The emerging strategy is based firmly in these principles to promote high quality public realm as one of the catalysts for growing community confidence and business investment. A holistic approach to improving and linking Seaside Road can be delivered incrementally as a series of projects which build on the area’s strengths and opportunities in order to encourage wider use and improve people’s experience and value of the area. The strategy is broadly threefold. First to create a vibrant new public square at the pivotal junction to ‘open the doors’ onto Seaside Road. Secondly to create a new improved public realm at the central retail junction to add value and support other proposed plans to improve traffic flow, promote redevelopment opportunities and to reinvigorate the local centre, and lastly to tie both together by enhancing the commercial spine of Seaside Road with improved pedestrian links to and from the new public spaces, re-considered parking arrangements, better surfacing, tree planting, wayfinding and signage.
