Fate of former blacksmith's forge to be decided

Plans to redevelop a former blacksmith's forge into an arts and crafts school in East Sussex are set to go before councillors.

On Tuesday, Eastbourne Borough Council's planning committee is due to consider an application to convert The Old Forge on Lower Road into a facility with work and training spaces.

The proposals, submitted by Brighton-based jeweller Julian Stephens, have received 33 letters of objection alongside 21 letters of support.

Planning officers have recommended the three-phase redevelopment be approved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In a statement submitted as part of the application, Mr Stephens said his ambition was for the site to become a "small but successful school for arts and crafts".

"The existing site is currently unoccupied and the proposed changes will bring the site back into use as a jewellery studio, silversmith and pottery," he said, adding that there will also be a "community use" as some of the spaces will be used for teaching.

The first phase of the project would involve the conversion of a former stables and lowering of the building's floor to create a "state-of-the-art jewellery studio" in the loft.

The second phase would involve the rebuilding of the site's former forge into a community space, with the final phase centred around demolishing the flat-roofed office building at the eastern side of the site.

This structure would be replaced by a two-storey building with a studio on the lower floor and apartment above.

Objectors' concerns include parking pressures and the potential for disturbance, while those in favour argue that the scheme would help preserve the site and offer a valuable facility.

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