Improvements to junction outside town hall to give 'sense of arrival' to Bexhill

On Monday (January 16), Cllr Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment, agreed for plans to rework the road layout in Town Hall Square to move ahead to the next stage.

The project will see an existing gyratory system removed and replaced with a new T-junction connecting London Road and Buckhurst Road.

This change would allow the creation of a new pedestrian area linked to the Lane Memorial Gardens, which would be accessed from a new zebra crossing on Buckhurst Road.

The proposals will see the loss of some on-street parking spaces, which is to be offset by the shortening of an existing taxi rank.

The scheme was welcomed by ward councillor Ian Hollidge (Con), who said: “These improvements will give a sense of arrival to Bexhill.

“The existing gyratory system — the one-way — does not function very well. It has six give-way junctions and the proposed scheme has only three. Currently vehicles are driving around in circles, unnecessarily impeding pedestrians, making access to the gardens difficult and dangerous.”

He added: “This is not just about changing the road layout, it is about enhancing the Lane Memorial Gardens creating a sense of place, making it easier to access Rother council offices and any future campus changes anyone may wish to make.

“This scheme achieves this without making life more difficult for those who choose or have to drive.”

Similar support was given by neighbouring ward councillor Nuala Geary (Con) and Cllr Carl Maynard, who is both a county council cabinet member and leader of the Conservative opposition group on Rother District Council.

According to council papers, the proposals to rework the road system had been developed in parallel with Rother District Council’s plans to redevelop the wider Bexhill Town Hall site. These plans — known as the Town Hall Renaissance Project — involve both the renovation of part of the existing campus and construction of a new civic centre.

During the meeting, however, Cllr Dowling was keen to stress that the traffic works were a standalone project, which would move ahead regardless of the final outcome of Rother’s eventual plans.

Even so, Cllr Maynard took the opportunity to publicly distance himself and his group from the district council’s proposals.

He said: “It is a hugely expensive scheme and frankly it is a folly.”

For clarity, the county council report neither expressed support for or opposition to the district council’s redevelopment project, with officers noting that the scheme had been designed to move ahead whether the campus is redeveloped or not.

The core proposals of the Town Hall Renaissance Project had been before the district council’s planning committee in October, but were narrowly-refused as a result of design concerns.

In papers considered by Cllr Dowling, county council officers said the district council is expected to submit a new application “in due course.” Speaking last month, however, RDC leader Doug Oliver said the plans had “stalled” as a result of financial uncertainty.

The traffic scheme is to be paid for both from the government’s Local Growth Fund and around £300,000 of Community Infrastructure Levy monies.