The Tower House 2 Carlisle Road Eastbourne East Sussex BN21 4BT Data via plota.co.uk

Pending 260253
Date received
6 May 2026
Date validated
6 May 2026
Postcode
BN21 4BT

Description

Change of Use from former Eastbourne Heritage Centre (Use Class F1) to Restaurant/Bar (Sui Generis) together with part single, part three-storey side and rear extension, external alterations including boundary treatment changes and associated plant (Planning Permission 260233) Data via plota.co.uk

Last checked

Decision outlook

Plota predicted a decision around 4 Oct 2026; it is now day 151.

Day 151, past the statutory target. 100% of full applications in Eastbourne are decided within thirteen weeks; extensions of time are common, and the council need not decide on the day. Last seen undecided on 24 Aug 2026.

Day 15195 days past the 56-day target
100%decided within 8 weeks
100%approved
97decided in the last year

Plota live figures for full applications decided by Eastbourne in the last twelve months, from validation. Eastbourne decision record →

Planning committee

Decided by Eastbourne Borough Council Planning Committee on 14 Jul 2026. The council has not yet issued its decision notice.

Approved unanimously

As officers recommended.

  • Officers advised approval because the scheme would reuse a vacant listed building, support the area and avoid unacceptable harm.
  • The proposal received support from the Conservation Officer and Eastbourne Society, while residents raised concerns including noise, parking and heritage.
  • The committee unanimously granted Listed Building Consent subject to the report’s conditions and three additional conditions.
Read how the committee decided The proposed conversion, heritage assessment, consultation responses, committee decision and conditions.

Source: Plota analysis of Eastbourne's committee minutes of 14 Jul 2026.

Associated applications 2

Site constraints 6

Town Centre and Seafront conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Scheduled monument about 102 m away: The Wish Tower: martello tower no 73
Its setting is a consideration for work nearby.
Nationally important archaeology protected by the Secretary of State. Work that affects the monument or its setting is rarely permitted.
Historic England ↗
5 listed buildings within 150 m of the postcode pin
Nearest: Eastbourne Heritage Centre, Grade II, about 33 m from the postcode pin · 1 Grade II*, 4 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 5 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Nature recovery project: Seaford to Eastbourne: Drink-in the Downs; SSSI about 367 m away: Seaford to Beachy Head SSSI; Inside the Eastbourne built-up area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt

Checked on 11 September 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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About Plota's data service
Eastbourne
Planning Authority Score
6.4/10
Average
#82 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Eastbourne ranks #160 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Only 30% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (94%) than the national average (90%).

Rarely extends deadlines
decisions usually arrive on time
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Eastbourne decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
86%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #194 of 296
94%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #106 of 296
62%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #160 of 296
30%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #53 of 296
63%
Minor dwellings approved
32 decided (1-9 homes)
83%
Major dwellings approved
6 decided (10+ homes)
79%
Change of use approved
24 decided
325
Total decisions
46 refused in the year to March 2026