Neighbours stage parking protest

Staff at insurance provider Hastings Direct in Collington Avenue peered from windows of Conquest House office block as residents, many in their 80s and 90s, converged outside their workplace on Monday.

More than 50 elderly protesters braved the chilly temperatures to voice their concerns to district and county councillor Ron Dyason.

They handed over a 300-plus petition which the councillor promised to take to the next county meeting on December 7 for the chairman to decide which committee should consider their issues.

Councillor Dyason who represents Bexhill South at county level and Collington Ward on Rother, said he had received many responses regarding parking and safety fears in the vicinity of the insurance company.

In October a smaller group of protesters had taken their concerns to the Town Hall over the company's proposal to change the current educational use to commercial on three floors.

Hastings Direct claimed the application was a "corrective measure" and did not mean they were to expand further.

But residents were unconvinced and complained that they were swamped with traffic for six days a week and that safety was being seriously compromised.

In addition to the on-street parking which often prevented them from entering and exiting their properties, one neighbour said that the parked cars made crossing Collington Avenue extremely hazardous.

"I have a devil crossing. The road terrifies me," said another.

Many of the deputation said they had to emerge into the road between parked cars and that it was a "miracle" no-one had been knocked down because the traffic moved so fast. (The road has a 30mph restriction)

Others claimed that they were not against the people working there (Hastings Direct has 700-plus employees) but thought where they parked was often "thoughtless."

Collington Avenue is a wide, mainly unrestricted parking road, but many of the employees cannot find space to park there and spill into the side roads such as Normandale.