Sovereign Harbour
Encyclopedia
Opened in 1993, Sovereign Harbour is a development of the beachland in the seaside resort of Eastbourne
, to the east of the town centre. Formerly known as The Crumbles, the marina now consists of four separate harbours, a retail park
and several housing projects
with both permanent and holiday properties.
The marina was originally run by its developer, Carillion plc
, until 2007 when it was bought by the Premier Marinas group, who also run several other marinas along the South Coast including Brighton
, Chichester
and Port Solent
, among others.
through twin sea locks, which are operated 24 hours a day. It needs frequent dredging to keep the access channel from the sea to the locks open and deep enough for vessels. The local RNLI lifeboat
has its own mooring there.
All the harbours (Inner, South, West and North) are artificial and were dredged one after the other.
Behind the locks is the main marina called Inner Harbour. This is the central body of water and was the first harbour in use. It contains berths for both visiting and resident berth holders, as well as provides access to the other three harbours via lifting bridges. The other three are used mostly by resident berth holders as well as the local fishing vessels.
The North Harbour is the latest development, and this body of water is larger than the initial Inner Harbour. The two remaining harbours West and South are much smaller and in use by local residents owning a house/apartment around these waters.
A large boat lift
now uses a corner in the North Harbour, near the local chandlery
and winter storage for yachts.
The locks - for access to and from the sea - and all lifting bridges are operated from the Harbour office building
located next to the locks. The office is manned around the clock - all days of the year. The keep listening watch is on VHF channel 17 (and not channel 80 as most marinas in the UK).
Apart from operating the locks and bridges the office is also used as information centre
for visiting yachts: the staff will provide visiting yachts their berth and collect the harbour fees.
Directly adjacent to the locks (and the office) is a fuel pontoon where self-service pumps for diesel and petrol can be found. There is also an amenities building which provides toilets, showers and laundry facilities to visiting and resident berth holders.
Visiting yachts can contact the harbour master
via VHF before arrival to obtain information about tides, depths of the dredged channel and other relevant information.<
Residential properties are about evenly split between the North and South harbours, with the Waterfront (restaurants, bars, and shops) laying between them.
In the last decade of the 20th century Sovereign Harbour was clearly a project in progress but now it starts to be a more-or-less completed project: the local yacht club
has a permanent housing, there is a 'waterfront' with shops and restaurants and most large-scale building activities are completed. During the earlier years the marina was more a building site
then a leisure location.
Many properties include a private mooring in one of the harbours and some provide private and direct access
from the property to a private jetty.
Development began around the South Harbour and West Harbour but later extended to the land around the North Harbour and the small stretch of land between the Inner Harbour and the sea. There are now over 3000 homes in the harbour.
s, chandlery etc. Directly behind this waterfront the large sheds are located for winter storage for yachts, boat repair shops etc.
There is also a commercial park directly behind the project with an ASDA supermarket, Next, Boots & Matalan stores, large cinema etc. All these large scale shops are built around a huge car-park
.
Although officially not part of the development it offers visitors and residents much desired shopping options. Especially for visiting yachtsmen (without proper transport) these superstores are handy as Eastbourne town centre
is a few miles away. Frequent bus services connect the harbour development with the centre of Eastbourne and the Seafront.
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, to the east of the town centre. Formerly known as The Crumbles, the marina now consists of four separate harbours, a retail park
Retail park
In the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated car parking. Its North American equivalent is a power centre. Retail parks are found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in highly accessible locations and are aimed at households...
and several housing projects
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
with both permanent and holiday properties.
The marina was originally run by its developer, Carillion plc
Carillion plc
Carillion plc is a multinational construction-services company headquartered in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, until 2007 when it was bought by the Premier Marinas group, who also run several other marinas along the South Coast including Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
and Port Solent
Port Solent
Port Solent is an area of Portsmouth, Hampshire, comprising a marina and luxury housing estate. The development is located on the western side of Horsea Island, in the north of Portsmouth Harbour, and was built in the 1980s on reclaimed land formerly used as a landfill site...
, among others.
The Harbours
The tidal Outer Harbour is only used for entrance to the marinaMarina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
through twin sea locks, which are operated 24 hours a day. It needs frequent dredging to keep the access channel from the sea to the locks open and deep enough for vessels. The local RNLI lifeboat
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
has its own mooring there.
All the harbours (Inner, South, West and North) are artificial and were dredged one after the other.
Behind the locks is the main marina called Inner Harbour. This is the central body of water and was the first harbour in use. It contains berths for both visiting and resident berth holders, as well as provides access to the other three harbours via lifting bridges. The other three are used mostly by resident berth holders as well as the local fishing vessels.
The North Harbour is the latest development, and this body of water is larger than the initial Inner Harbour. The two remaining harbours West and South are much smaller and in use by local residents owning a house/apartment around these waters.
A large boat lift
Boat lift
A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock and the canal inclined plane....
now uses a corner in the North Harbour, near the local chandlery
Chandlery
A chandlery was originally the office in a medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It was headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and only existed as a separate office in larger households...
and winter storage for yachts.
The locks - for access to and from the sea - and all lifting bridges are operated from the Harbour office building
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
located next to the locks. The office is manned around the clock - all days of the year. The keep listening watch is on VHF channel 17 (and not channel 80 as most marinas in the UK).
Apart from operating the locks and bridges the office is also used as information centre
Visitor center
A visitor center or centre , visitor information center, tourist information center, is a physical location that provides tourist information to the visitors who tour the place or area locally...
for visiting yachts: the staff will provide visiting yachts their berth and collect the harbour fees.
Directly adjacent to the locks (and the office) is a fuel pontoon where self-service pumps for diesel and petrol can be found. There is also an amenities building which provides toilets, showers and laundry facilities to visiting and resident berth holders.
Visiting yachts can contact the harbour master
Harbourmaster
A harbourmaster is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct operation of the port facilities.-Responsibilities:Harbourmasters are normally responsible for issuing...
via VHF before arrival to obtain information about tides, depths of the dredged channel and other relevant information.<
Residential properties are about evenly split between the North and South harbours, with the Waterfront (restaurants, bars, and shops) laying between them.
In the last decade of the 20th century Sovereign Harbour was clearly a project in progress but now it starts to be a more-or-less completed project: the local yacht club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
has a permanent housing, there is a 'waterfront' with shops and restaurants and most large-scale building activities are completed. During the earlier years the marina was more a building site
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
then a leisure location.
Housing
The housing developments in the marina contain a variety of different style houses and apartments both waterside and non-waterside.Many properties include a private mooring in one of the harbours and some provide private and direct access
Direct access
Direct Access may refer to:*DirectAccess, a network technology in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2*Direct access, a concept in computer science*Direct Access Archive, a proprietary file format...
from the property to a private jetty.
Development began around the South Harbour and West Harbour but later extended to the land around the North Harbour and the small stretch of land between the Inner Harbour and the sea. There are now over 3000 homes in the harbour.
Commercial
At the western shore of the Inner Harbour there is the -so called- Waterfront with restaurants, coffee-shops, estate agentEstate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
s, chandlery etc. Directly behind this waterfront the large sheds are located for winter storage for yachts, boat repair shops etc.
There is also a commercial park directly behind the project with an ASDA supermarket, Next, Boots & Matalan stores, large cinema etc. All these large scale shops are built around a huge car-park
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
.
Although officially not part of the development it offers visitors and residents much desired shopping options. Especially for visiting yachtsmen (without proper transport) these superstores are handy as Eastbourne town centre
Town centre
The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations...
is a few miles away. Frequent bus services connect the harbour development with the centre of Eastbourne and the Seafront.