Eastbourne’s fire-ravaged Claremont Hotel to be completely demolished

Officials have said it is not possible to save any of the Grade II listed facade.

Eastbourne council said the recent collapses of large sections of the hotel this week due to Storm Ciara have left the building ‘unstable and clearly hazardous’.

This comes after the green light was given on Friday (February 9) to partially demolish some of the building. Officials involved listed key concerns regarding the partial demolition, which was safety and building preservation.

An Eastbourne Borough Council spokesman said, “Following the second collapse of the hotel façade earlier this week, plans are being prepared for the start of demolition works.

“These collapses have left the remains of the building unstable and clearly hazardous, so regrettably, initial hopes of preserving elements of the Grade II listed hotel may not now be possible.

“The demolition work required is highly complex, not least because of the adjoining Burlington Hotel and other adjacent properties.

“The work is subject to final permissions being achieved. Council officers are liaising with the hotel owner and their appointed demolition contractor in order to achieve this.

“Demolition machinery will be transported to the site tomorrow (February 13).

“While not confirmed, it is possible that the demolition work will begin on Friday (February 14). This is dependent on various factors, including the weather conditions.

“We are keeping local residents and businesses updated and will continue to work with all our partners in order to return this section of seafront to normal, as soon as possible.”

More of the area surrounding the hotel has been cordoned off ahead of demolition preparations.

Storm Ciara brought gusts of up to 80mph to the town at the weekend and continued into the week, which saw large sections of the building collapse over the course of Tuesday (February 11).