Link road supporters face uphill battle

The £100million road-building scheme now has to go head-to-head with similar projects in places such as Manchester and Sheffield.

These larger cities traditionally carry more weight with central government (regardless of which political party is in power) than the more peripheral Bexhill and Hastings.

Not only that, the cost of the link road is estimated to be a huge one-sixth of the total pot of cash available - and this for a three-mile stretch of road.

Although his party is in power with the Liberal Democrats, MP Greg Barker is going to need to build a very strong case for the link road if he wants to ensure its survival.

Local government bodies and pro-link road organisations such as Rother District Council, East Sussex County Council and Sussex Enterprise will have to work equally as hard to present their collective case.

All of these organisations want to see regeneration in the Bexhill area, and believe the link road is essential to a turnaround in the town’s fortunes.

Indeed, the existence of the link road was a major consideration in Rother’s plan to rebuild Sidley Goods Yard as the Elva Business Centre.

Central government is likely to see dropping the hefty price tag for the scheme as a huge, easy saving, particularly given the nature of the cuts outlined in the public spending review.

This is likely to be the biggest battle in the long history of the regenerationists’ dream of a better road between Bexhill and Hastings.

On the other side of the coin, the anti-link road lobbyists (public transport and environmental campaigners) must be very encouraged - as set out this week by the Hastings Alliance.