The situation with the Wish Tower Restaurant has this week worsened considerably with some parts of the roof blowing off in the high wind which has been battering our town.
The only viable option remaining is to bulldoze the site now and start again which was approved by Eastbourne Borough Council's Cabinet Committee tonight.
My colleague and Leader of the Opposition, Cllr David Elkin asked the administration to ensure that no time was lost in progressing this important work and that a quality redevelopment was returned to this key seafront location as soon as possible.
I expressed concern that the mis-management of the town's assets continued to prove very costly for local taxpayers. It seems unfathomable that residents and visitors could have been eating safely in this venue when open just weeks ago given the disgusting state the building has been left in and I have asked when the last environmental health inspection was completed and what it's findings were.
Furthermore I criticised Lib-Dems for congratulating themselves on a process which has seen the previous tennants paid nearly £38,000 to vacate premises that they neglected to maintain during their fully repairing lease on the venue.
I have also expressed concerns about the way asset management is bring handled by the newly created Strategic Asset Board and have requested that until residents can see improvements, regular reports and updates are provided and the maximum detail is made public in an effort to restore confidence.
More news will surely follow but until then, rest assured I remain on the case and will continue to hold the administration to account whilst doing all I can to see this iconic venue redeveloped into an asset that we can all be very proud of.
