Readers may remember Eastbourne Pier suffered catastrophic damage during a fire at the end of last month. The Government immediately pledged to grant £2m for restoration of the Pier during an announcement they would be handing out cash to regenerate ten coastal towns.
In their letter to the Minister, the Ventnor Town Council (VTC) say,
“The collapse of Undercliff Drive in St Lawrence is having an equally catastrophic impact on the Island’s vital tourism offer as well as devastating the residents of eight homes and one business.”
Giving an indication of the immense pressure evacuated residents are under, the VTC go on to say,
“Seven months on that closure remains in place; the affected families – who are mainly elderly – remain unable to access their homes, have to pay for alternative rental accommodation and storage costs and deal with the daily disruption of their lives; the caravan tourism business now has no income.”
The Town Council finish by asking for equivalent supportive action as applied to Eastbourne Pier,
“We hope that you and your colleagues will give serious consideration to supportive action with an equivalence to that applied to Eastbourne.”
