Delight as demolition team arrives at Grand

Rother District Council announced last week that it would start legal action to enforce removal of the Grand, destroyed in an arson attack in February 2003, because its August 11 deadline for demolition had passed.

But to the relief of all a section of hoarding was removed on Tuesday and a demolition contractor's skip and exacavator were delivered.

Workers say demolition will begin in earnest next week.

Rother has granted planning permission for the Grand's replacement with luxury flats. A scheme to redevelop the site with a health centre with flats above failed when NHS funding could not be obtained.

Simon Davis took on the Oasis cafe on the nearby Sea Road-St Leonards Road corner a year ago knowing that the eyesore was just up the road.

As he served customers sitting outside in the sunshine on Wednesday with the charred relic still in view, he said of this week's development: "I think it's brilliant!

"In the future you will walk out of the station and, hopefully, see something nice instead of that eyesore.

"I think it is fantastic that there is going to be something there."

At Wheelers Cycles which has been open just eight weeks, manager Darren Phillips said: "It will certainly smarten the place up a lot. It will be a good thing because it's a nice area from what I have seen.

"I think the passing trade will probably increase as a result of redevelopment."

At the Hair Pro UK salon, Joy Filton said: "We have waited so long for this. We just want to see something civilised put there. It is such an eyesore for us business people to have right opposite.

"I do think it has put people off coming to this part of the town to a certain degree."

For other traders, relief at the prospect of the ruin being removed is tinged with regret that the old Grand could not have been salvaged for some new purpose.

One said: "Personally, I think it is a shame that it has to go. It was such a lovely old building. Iwill be sad to see it go. I would have liked to have seen it made into some nice flats.

"But it couldn't stay as it was."

Another said: "I was sorry to see the Grand Hotel go as a hotel. That was the biggest blow. But we have had to put up with that ruin for a long time. It should have been pulled down at the beginning - after the fire.

"It is a pity that the site could not have been re-developed with a health centre. It would have been nice for the town.

"But to come out of the station and see that hideous pile - well, it looked terrible."