Landscapes Under Threat - Bexhill-Hastings Link Road
Window View of Adam's Farm, East Sussex (Spring 2005) - Peter Poole
The farm depicted in this picture is threatened by the government proposed
Bexhill-Hastings Link Road, which would cross the Combe Haven Valley,
several smaller tributary valleys and cut through this beautiful view and right past a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Promoted by East Sussex County Council, the road is opposed by the Hastings Alliance, an umbrella organisation of local and national community and environmental groups, on environmental, economic and transport grounds.
In a report to its own cabinet, East Sussex County Council described the Combe Haven as “probably the finest medium-sized valley in East Sussex, outside of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It is set within a high-quality landscape of historic and wildlife interest and contains peaceful and remote countryside.”
So why trash it?
The road would distort the local economy, encouraging firms to relocate out of town from accessible town centre locations, and would not increase regional accessibility. The recent renaissance of Hastings would be reversed. Housing developments on land opened up would be car-dependent.
Despite the overwhelmingly local nature of traffic on short journeys, managing demand to reduce car dependency does not feature at all in the County Councils' strategies for Hastings and Bexhill, nor was it mentioned in the consultation process or the funding bid itself.
In the immediate future, Hastings and Bexhill face cuts in rail services and little activity on pedestrian and cycling improvements. Proposed huge increases in town centre parking provision and the promise of a big new road will send strong signals that, in East Sussex, the car is still king.
Contact the Hastings Trust on 01424 446 373 or derrickcoffee@yahoo.co.uk