Colonnade scheme split due to £2m rise in budget

The Sutton on Sea Colonnade redevelopment is set to be delivered in two phases as the council blames rising costs for a £2m jump in budget.

The decision was confirmed in a recent meeting of the ELDC Executive Board, where a new plan for the delivery of the project was unveiled.

Councillor Graham Marsh, who presented a detailed report at the meeting, highlighted the challenges faced by the project due to rising construction costs.

“Since this date, construction costs have continued to increase due to supply chain issues for both labour and materials,” Marsh explained.

“Further cost increases of around £2 million are now unavoidable if the scheme is to be progressed in its original format.”

The Colonnade scheme, which aims to transform the existing facility into a landmark destination, was originally budgeted at £7.5 million.

However, the final contract sum was expected to be at least around £9.5 million.

To manage these costs, the council has agreed to separate the Colonnade works into two phases.

Phase one, which includes the pavilion, the beach huts, and the surrounding external works and landscaping, can commence within the approved budget.

Officers will submit a further report for phase two, being the lodges, once final costings and market testing have been undertaken.

In addition to this, the council has proposed setting aside up to £600,000 for the relocation of the Multi User Games Area and two tennis courts to the nearby King George playing fields.

This move is expected to provide additional benefits to the scheme.

Despite the challenges, the board remains optimistic about the project’s potential.

“The project will deliver enhanced and new facilities for skills, employment, and improve the general well-being of residents and visitors,” Marsh added.

“It goes to the heart of the government’s levelling agenda and delivers further investment into regeneration, skills, and connectivity to secure transformational levels of economic growth.”

The project is expected to continue with greater certainty to the contract stage for the implementation of the main building works later this year, with full completion well before the summer season of 2025.