Decision made on controversial Hastings residents-only parking scheme plan

East Sussex County Council held a consultation earlier this year to find out residents’ views on the proposals, which would have affected roads including part of Priory Road, Collier Road, Alpine Road and Plynlimmon Road.

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Under the scheme, households would have had to purchase an annual resident permit – costing £75 for the first and £125 for the second –in order to park between 9am and 8pm from Monday to Saturday.

The county council said it had launched the consultation after receiving a petition from residents, who were concerned about parking difficulties caused by local workers, businesses and other visitors leaving their vehicles parked all day.

But Michael Rock, a writer who has lived in Alpine Road in West Hill for more than a decade, told the Observer in March that the community was ‘in uproar’ over proposals.

He said: “All the residents would have to pay for what we now get for free.

“I think the majority of people are against the scheme and are surprised it’s even being considered.”

The consultation came to a close on Friday, April 12, and the county council has now confirmed that due to a lack of support, the scheme would not go ahead.

Mr Rock said the proposals had been ‘defeated by a landslide’ and said he was very happy with the outcome.

He said: “I have had a lot of people expressing how happy they are that this hasn’t happened.

“As far as I can see, it’s not something that people wanted at all.

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

He said it had been ‘a waste of time and effort’ to put people through the consultation process and said: “We hope this will be the last time we are presented with this.”

However, he added: “Something to be learned here is that you don’t have to put up with everything.

“If you object to it, your objection will be heard.

“I’m proud of all my neighbours who stood up and voted against this.”

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “Earlier this year, we carried out a consultation on proposals for a residents-only parking zone in the West Hill area, in response to a petition from residents.

“We would only implement such a scheme if it was something the majority of residents in the affected area were in favour of.

“The results of the consultation indicate that there wasn’t sufficient support from residents, therefore a decision has been made that we won’t be progressing these proposals.”

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