Martello Tower conversion approved

By Huw Oxburgh, BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to convert historic naval defences into holiday homes have been partly approved by Eastbourne councillors.

Eastbourne Borough Council’s planning committee approved proposals to convert Martello Tower 66, a Grade-II listed scheduled monument, into holiday accommodation.

The applicant has spent more than four years working with Historic England to come up with the final proposal.

The committee had also been due to decide (Tuesday June 3) on a second similar application concerning Martello Tower 64. Both towers are in the Sovereign Harbour area.

Discussion of Tower 64 was deferred in light of what officers described as a “procedural matter”.

The committee heard from Robert Adams, who was behind both applications. Mr Adams said the conversions would restore and preserve the heritage value of the Napoleonic-era structures.

He said: “My goal is simple: to preserve these towers for future generations. However, restoration comes at significant cost. To ensure their long-term survival I needed to find a use that could generate sustainable income for ongoing maintenance.

“To support this vision, I assembled a skilled team, including my architect and several experienced advisors. For the past four-and-a-half years we have worked closely with the ancient monuments department at Historic England. Together we evaluated a wide range of alternatives before arriving at the current proposal.

“This solution has received unanimous support from all stakeholders and [scheduled monument consent] was approved by the secretary of state without any modifications.”

He added: “There is quite simply no viable alternative that would guarantee the towers’ preservation. Without this plan they will continue to deteriorate and eventually collapse into the sea, as many others have before them.”

The conversion work includes an extension to the tower’s roof and a new access staircase to reinstated entrances on the first floor.

In a report, council planning officers wrote that the “alterations to the property are well-designed and in keeping with the existing structure”.

While recommended for approval by planning officers, the scheme had sparked concerns by a number of Sovereign Harbour residents.

Speaking on behalf of some of these objectors, Christine Earl, a resident at the nearby White Point apartments, said she and her neighbours supported the restoration of Martello Tower 66 but had concerns about parts of the proposals.

Ms Earl said: “I applaud the officers’ recommendation of approval subject to conditions, because Mr Adams’ restoration of these historic Martellos will complement the council’s strategic plan for restoration of the seafront.

“I fully support restoring Tower 66, as do my neighbours … but it is disingenuous of the applicant to say that we received the entire proposal positively. We do have practical concerns.

“We are relieved that the proposal now no longer includes parking spaces but feel that the planning consent needs to go further in defining exactly what traffic is allowed across this section of the King Charles III coastal path and when.”

Officers had noted how vehicle access would be controlled by a condition which requires that any use, other than emergency services or consent works, should gain written permission from the council.

Objectors had also highlighted concerns connected to sea flooding work regularly undertaken by the Environment Agency (EA) in the nearby area.

The EA had initially raised its own concerns about the proposals but withdrew objections subject to conditions. These will require the towers to be closed while the EA carries out sea defence works in the area, which the EA notes can be “at short notice in response to adverse weather or other factors”.

However, committee members felt the proposal for Martello Tower 66 should be approved.

Speaking in support, committee chairman Hugh Parker said: “It seems to me that Historic England have been thorough in their approach. That seems to me to be a positive.

“Not only that, our own planning department has been very, very thorough. I am sure the applicant is well-aware of that and he seems to have responded positively.

“I completely understand some of the objections that have been put forward, but on balance it seems to me to be a reasonable application.”

The committee agreed to approve the application in line with officers’ recommendations.

The committee agreed to leave the formal granting of planning permission to officers, which would be contingent on further consultation on the proposals with the county ecologist.

The application for Martello Tower 64 had also initially been recommended for delegated approval. As the meeting began, however, council planning officers told the committee that there was a “procedural” issue with the application.

This related to the scheme’s ‘red-line boundary’, a map which shows all the land involved in the development, including highways access. Officers said they had requested and received an amended version of this plan but needed more time to follow procedures connected to the document.

In light of this, officers changed their recommendation to deferral. This was agreed by the committee.

For further information on the proposals, see applications 240561 and 240559 on the Eastbourne Borough Council website.