Government approval for the controversial Bexhill to Hastings link road was conditional on net costs of the scheme remaining unchanged, but approval was granted, despite a surge in costs from £47M to £89M, according to East Sussex Transport 2000.
In light of the soaring costs, East Sussex Transport 2000 and the Hastings Alliance are urging the transport secretary to scrap the scheme, ‘or at the very least, place it on hold to enable transport planners to create a transport strategy which reflects a serious commitment to “sustainability” and quality of life’. The news comes just two weeks after a report revealed that East Sussex County Council failed to fully investigate non-road alternatives to BHLR, even though government guidance required it to do so (Surveyor, 1 February). Derrick Coffee, county officer for East Sussex Transport 2000, said the £89M cost of the scheme could instead be put towards: a safe road to school for every child; residential streets where space is shared by all; comprehensive pedestrian and cycle networks; a high-quality bus service; and travel plans for businesses and organisations to drastically cut ‘driver-only’ car commuting.
However, a spokesman for East Sussex County Council accused the campaign group of ‘deliberately and desperately fudging’ the fact that proposed alternatives to the scheme would be paid for by residents of the county through council tax. ‘This is money from outside East Sussex which the Government is investing in the Hastings/Bexhill region,’ he said.
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