The final nail in the coffin for expansion of the Portobello works at Telscombe Cliffs came from Environment Secretary John Prescott yesterday.
His department threw out two orders made by Southern Water for compulsory purchase of land owned by Telscombe Town Council and to close and redirect a footpath on the cliff top.
On Friday, after a 43-day public inquiry between October 1999 and February 2000, Mr Prescott ruled the expansion of Portobello should be scrapped.
For Southern Water to have succeeded in building the £60 million works on a giant platform underneath the cliffs at Telscombe it would have needed a compulsory purchase order to buy land owned by the town council.
It would have also needed to have diverted the footpath from the Badger's Watch pub to the beach. Some of the land was also owned by Brighton and Hove City Council.
Telscombe councillor Roy Goodall said yesterday: "This decision by the Secretary of State is really the end of any major expansion of Portobello at Telscombe Cliffs."
Leader of Peacehaven Town Council Tony Howard said: "This land was purchased by the people of Telscombe and there would have been a public outcry if they had been forced to sell it to Southern Water."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article