Concerns over proposals to build houses along busy Hastings road

Cllrs Atkins and Rankin at the recent meeting where the proposals were outlined

A pre-application planning forum was recently held where people had the chance to view the proposals, which would involve building 55 houses on The Ridge.

Borough councillors, John Rankin and Liam Atkins were also at the meeting.

Cllr Atkins said: “Among many of the issues raised by Cllr Rankin and myself where the obvious traffic and infrastructure issues.

“The Ridge is already one of the most congested roads in the town.

“Should this planning application come to fruition, it will pour even more unwanted traffic onto Harrow Lane and then The Ridge.

“The local infrastructure simply cannot cope with the 55 proposed dwellings on this site, let alone the hundreds proposed south of Harrow Lane playing fields nor those on the Holmhurst St Mary site.

“The highways system is heaving, the doctor’s surgery in Little Ridge already sends some patients to the Plaza, and ARK Little Ridge Academy is full to capacity.”

Cllr Rankin said: “Residents are rightly angry, despite these sites being placed within the council’s Local Plan, there is no plan to tackle these issues, no plan to work with the county council to ensure sustainable infrastructure investment is put in place.

“The council should halt any application coming forward in this area until the full effects of the Link Road and, and when finished, Queensway Gateway road can be seen.

“Only then will they know the full impact that more developments will have on local traffic.”

In November 2015 a separate outline application for up to 208 dwellings on land to the south of Holmhurst St Mary, off The Ridge was approved by members of Hastings Borough Council’s planning committee.

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