Black Robin Farm Eastbourne plans and timetable explained

Eastbourne Borough Council says its vision for Black Robin Farm, near Beachy Head, remains unchanged, with a first phase planned for completion in 2028 and a second aiming for 2030.

The plans for the former dairy farm include galleries, education facilities, a shop, a cafe and restaurant, landscaping, parking and bus access.

At a scrutiny committee meeting on November 2, councillors asked why work had not started at the site and whether rising construction costs had reduced the original proposals.

An artist's impression included in the original planning application (Image: Feilden Fowles)

Council leader Stephen Holt told the meeting that the proposals were no longer the same as originally planned because of cost pressures.

He said there would still be a shop, a café and elements of the events barn, but not on the scale originally intended, the publication reported.

The project was awarded £11.5 million in Levelling Up funding in 2021 and is due to be run by Towner Eastbourne.

Work on the development had been due to start in 2025.

In a statement responding to questions about the scheme, the council said the timetable had changed partly because of planning and ecological conditions, as well as economic changes.

An aerial view of the Black Robin Farm site (Image: EBC)

The authority said some elements had been moved into later phases and refined to keep the project deliverable.

The first phase includes a new gallery, parts of an events and education barn, utilities, habitat improvements, parking, a bus turning circle and a bus stop, the council said.

It also includes moving the existing farming operation permanently to Ringwood Farm, with a new barn, farmyard and drainage.

The second phase is intended to provide a heritage gallery, engagement spaces, a permanent shop and a cafe and restaurant by 2030.

Towner secured a National Lottery Heritage Fund development grant in 2025 to prepare designs and cultural, learning and heritage programmes for the site's older areas, the council said.

A full application for a separate delivery grant to complete the second phase is still to be submitted.

A £10 million pound arts and culture centre has been approved for the Black Robin Farm site (Image: SDNPA)

Councillors were told that further education and visitor facilities could be brought forward through subsequent funding opportunities.

Planning permission, part full and part outline, was secured from the South Downs National Park Authority in February.

The council says it remains committed to delivering the vision for the site.