Angry residents at road congestion meeting

For more than 60 people attending last Friday's gathering at the Athletic Club's Sports Centre, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's appeal decision to over-rule Rother planners and allow Ravenside expansion had been the last straw.

The move not only allows a major addition to Tesco's store but the building of three more stores, a KFC drive-through restaurant and a much-enlarged car park.

Crucially, though the Government ruled that expansion would have "no significant impact" on town centre trading or trunk road traffic, the appeal decision involves creation of new trunk road traffic lights to create access between Ravenside and De La Warr Road.

This would mean two sets of lights, two pedestrian-operated crossings AND Glyne Gap roundabout all within a few hundred yards of the already-congested De La Warr Road, Cllr Stuart Wood told the meeting.

Cllr Wood is chairman of a six-member action group. It had called the meeting to give the public a voice on Bexhill's increasingly complex and serious road problems - including the advent in September of a student influx when the new Sixth Form College opens in nearby Penland Road and the urgent need for the Link Road to relieve the A259.

Residents who had attended the appeal hearing said that Ravenside freeholders Land Securities were powerfully represented by a barrister while the Highways Agency and county highways department had nobody to counter this.

One man said he had asked at the appeal how he was supposed to get his car into and out of his drive-way - which would front on to the new traffic lights.

He had been advised to give the old-style hand signal. "I thought that went out with the Ark!" he told the meeting.

On a show of hands, practically everyone present indicated that they believed that trunk road relief was the only answer.

Action group member Glyn Chave warned: "The opposition groups are very well organised. South Coast Against Roads (SCAR) is affiliated to a staggering number of organisations.

"On the other hand, a pro-road lobby doesn't exist. We are the silent majority...."

A lady summed-up the mood of the angry gathering. The meeting had been warned that environmentalists had vowed to fight whichever of the link road options is chosen, just as they had fought the now-abandoned bypass.

"What about protecting the PEOPLE and the environment where WE live?" she said, amid applause.

"We have a problem with the Green Lobby. What about them having a problem with the Brown Lobby - all of US!"

The chairman appealed for the public to submit ideas for future action and possible solutions to the problem to the group.

Regular Observer correspondent Roger Gillett immediately handed in a sketch for a suggested new road layout to replace Glyne Gap roundabout. He said his scheme, already voiced in the Observer, would take in part of the Glyne Gap field but provide a free east-west traffic flow.

Action group member Dr John Thurston said a much better option to the link road would be to take a road from Glyne Gap to join Queensway at St Leonards.

Meanwhile, trunk road congestion could be eased by simple measures. "The sooner they get bridges for pedestrians (instead of crossings) the better!

"The idea of more lights in De La Warr Road is absolutely crazy!"

Cllr Wood was the only council representative present. Both Town MP Gregory Barker and his Hastings counterpart Michael Foster sent their apologies. County Highways and the Highways Agency were unable to send representatives in response to the action group's invitation.

As the meeting ended, a long queue formed to sign a protest petition. The chairman appealed for more people to join the action group, which meets at the Garden Room at Parkhurst Hall on Monday to consider its next move.