Councillors agree to “re-direct” funding to Exceat Bridge project

On Tuesday (April 22), East Sussex County Council’s cabinet agreed to “re-direct” more than £11 million towards plans to replace the single-lane structure — which forms part of the A259 between Seaford and Eastbourne — with a new two-lane, two-way bridge.

The proposals saw opposition from some councillors, who argued the project was proving to be too expensive and should be dropped.

This had been an option due to be considered at a previous cabinet meeting in March, which could have seen the council pursue alternative plans to construct a cheaper like-for-like replacement of the existing structure.

Cllr Nick Bennett, Conservative cabinet member for resources and climate change, defended the project to build a two-lane bridge. He said: “If we build a single-lane bridge now in 20 years time people will think that we’ve missed a great opportunity to build something far more substantial that supports the infrastructure for a long time.”

The additional funding for the project is to be drawn from money tied to the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

Cabinet members heard how the reallocation will result in some disruption to other projects within the BSIP. These include bus priority schemes — which involve the creation of new bus lanes among other measures — in Newhaven and Peacehaven.

The council says it still hopes to move ahead with these schemes should further funding be made available in the future. It specifically intends to use 2025/26 BSIP funding to continue with the Newhaven scheme, but officers have said the scheme “may need to be descoped to ensure it can be delivered within the available funding.

The future is more uncertain for the Telscombe Cliffs scheme as no additional funding has currently been identified. The council says this scheme, as well as plans to improve Bus Stop Infrastructure and provide Real Time Information, would be prioritised for delivery using future BSIP funding, if and when it is announced by the DfT.

Some councillors raised concerns about the future of these schemes.

Green Party councillor Johnny Denis said: “[Traffic in Newhaven] is the biggest pinch point of all; for everybody, for the maximum number of users. That ought to be the priority, not this white elephant, or should we call it a red herring in terms of traffic solutions on the A259.”

He added: “This is a nonsense. We are basically saying one community isn’t going to get it, another community isn’t going to get it. We are going to keep pouring money down a terrible deep hole on a failed project.”

Liberal Democrat James MacCleary, who is county councillor for Newhaven and Bishopstone and the MP for Lewes, argued that the Newhaven bus priority scheme, which would take place around The Drove and Denton Roundabout, would be “disruptive”. He said the council should focus on addressing traffic congestion problems instead.

But Cllr MacCleary also shared concerns about the potential for the two-lane bridge project to further increase in cost.

In a statement published ahead of the meeting, Cllr MacCleary said: “I know that many local residents are very concerned that the council is now in the position of having to find so much additional funding for the replacement of the Exceat Bridge. With nearly £5 million already spent, the cost of the project is beginning to escalate significantly.

“Indeed, if cabinet agrees to proceed with [a two-lane bridge] … then the cost will be a minimum of £21.8 million presuming no further cost over-runs — more than double the initial estimate.

“I would like to know how the previous cost estimate of £10.6 million proved to be so far off the mark, what lessons have been learned from this, and how the council leadership will be ensuring that taxpayers are not on the hook for more millions in the highly possible event that new estimates prove inaccurate?”

At their previous meeting in March, the costs associated with the two-lane bridge project were due to see cabinet members consider whether to move ahead with alternative plans to construct a cheaper like-for-like replacement of the existing structure.

These plans, unlike the initial proposals, would have required the road to be closed for around 22 weeks. These closures could result in delays of up to an hour for some rush hour motorists, council officers had said.

A change of course had been prompted by a letter from Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company Limited (B&H Buses). According to officers, the bus company said it would have promoted the Exceat bridge project as a higher priority than other schemes within the BSIP, had it not already been a project on the council’s books.

Since then, the Department for Transport (DfT) has given the council permission to reallocate £11.128m of BSIP grant funding towards the Exceat Bridge project.

While the reallocation of BSIP money is expected to close the funding gap, the Exceat Bridge project still faces some further hurdles.

As part of the project, the council is in the process of securing land through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and similar statutory powers.

In light of objections, the DfT has arranged a public inquiry. This inquiry is set to commence on May 13 and is expected to run for several days, following which a decision on the orders will be reached.

The council says it will continue to negotiate with the statutory objectors in hopes of removing the need for a CPO.

Cllr Claire Dowling (Con), cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “The Exceat Bridge is a pinch point, which we are all well aware of.

“This [project] is extremely important to the county and that corridor, especially to the buses and under the BSIP we are looking to encourage bus users on to the buses … [and] 21 per cent of bus passengers already use this route.”