Link Road: permission rubber-stamped

The decision was made on July 29, when a legal agreement listing 32 conditions was signed by East Sussex County Council's planning committee.

In December last year ESCC resolved to grant permission for the road subject to conditions being attached and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government not calling in the application for further inspection.

In February Hazel Blears, then Secretary of State, decided not to call in the application and the decision has now been approved. Construction of the road is planned to start in summer 2010, with the road open to traffic by the end of 2012.

Nick Bingham, chairman of the Hastings Alliance for Sustainable Transport Solutions, called the decision a "bureaucratic development" which did not affect objectors' hopes that the road will not be built.

He said: "We remain optimistic. East Sussex County Council think this is the only thing that will solve any problems for Hastings and Bexhill. They're marching ahead regardless of the costs and environmental damage, but I think there are other people in the Department of Transport who are much more sceptical.

"This road has gone from 47million to close to 100million pounds in the space from 2004 to now. We think the Department of Transport is fairly sceptical about this increase. There's a big move not to spend money at the moment and we think they will think very carefully before bringing it to the Secretary of State."

Objectors cite the increased cost of the 5.6km link road, which joins the A259 in Bexhill to the B2092 along Queensway, Hastings, as a major reason why it should not be built, together with concerns of massive environmental damage to Combe Haven Valley, north of Bexhill.

The Hastings Alliance website also claims the link road will undermine sustainable transport options, including cycling, and local rail services, whilst not solving the underlying issue of heavy traffic between Hastings and Bexhill.

ESCC say the road, together with industrial and housing developments planned on the land around it, will create an estimated 2,000 jobs, provide faster access to the Conquest Hospital, reducing the number of accidents on local roads and improve air quality along the Bexhill Road.

The project is currently being examined by the Department of Transport, who are expected to make a recommendation to Lord Andrew Adonis, the Secretary of State for Transport, in "mid to late August". Increased costs are a marginal concern at this stage, which examines whether the road satisfies central government criteria rather than awarding a specific sum of funding.

On the basis of this recommendation, the Secretary of State may grant provisional funding status to the scheme.

Then, on November 10, a public enquiry into the Compulsory Purchase Orders begins at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings.

Christopher Tipping, an independent Inquiry Inspector, will spend four weeks listening to all objections before reporting his findings to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

If his recommendation approves the purchase orders, ESCC must make a final case to the Department of Transport sometime next spring, requesting specific funding sums.

All objectors are invited to a public meeting at the De La Warr Pavilion on September 3, where Christopher Tipping will agree with them how the inquiry will be conducted.

Rother chief executive Derek Stevens said: "Whilst it is recognised that there are still some formal steps still to be taken, we are delighted the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road now looks set to proceed.

"The project is vital for the regeneration and housing needs of the district and, once delivered, it will allow Rother District Council to press ahead with more of its priority projects to improve the quality of life for our residents."

A list of the conditions attached to the link road, along with full details of the application, can be viewed at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/environment/planning/applications/linkroad.

For more general information about the process, please visit www.eastsussex.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/bexhillhastingslinkroad, or contact ESCC Highways on 0345 60 80 193.

For information about the Hastings Alliance, please visit www.hastingsalliance.com