Will Queensway Gateway, Hastings, be ready for the next phase?

7/10/14- Images of what is thought ot be the route of the proposed Sea Change Queensway Gateway, Hastings. The SEAT dealership in Sedlescombe Road North SUS-140710-170954001

Your issue on 1/11/19, is reporting a finishing time of Spring 2020 from Sea Change Sussex for a road to be opened for the next stage of the Queensway Gateway Road in St.Leonards. We have, through your pages, (with valuable help from ESCC, Communities, Economy and Transport), been asking since January last year for news of plans that are being laid for the finishing of the main scheme.

This stop-gap, or temporary plan, from Sea Change Sussex, which we all hope is all it is, is a welcome advancement pending completion of the main plan, and will utilise Whitworth Road down to the A21 with the closure of Junction Road. No firm dates, as yet, have been given by Sea Change Sussex for this nor for the pending completion of the main plan so we hope that these will be forthcoming very soon.

ESCC are hell-bent, so they tell me, on having the main contract finished so this is a welcome development from Sea Change. There were questions being asked as to whether Sea Change Sussex could find the funds to build this temporary phase so all appears to be well so far and in parallel to building the permanent route funded through SELEP and LGF and SSC.

Those using The Ridge, both businesses and residents, will welcome this news as it goes some way towards relieving traffic bottlenecks at Junction Road and helping to relieve traffic volumes on The Ridge. Vehicles will be directed, both ways, off Queensway on to the A21 and the town centre by using the new road as was always intended.

We are hopeful that HBC, the Planning Authority, through Cllr Peter Chowney, the Council leader and the Councillors representing the affected wards will push through any outstanding approvals along the way so that, according to Treasury guidance, this project can achieve the high value for money status it was promised at the initial planning stages and that it will generate new jobs in the process through increased business efficiency.

By the way we wish Bartletts SEAT Ltd, the car dealers, well when they move to their new premises on Queensway in due course to make way for the new roundabout as part of the main job.

Let us all press for a firm date for this stop-gap and also for the completion of the main scheme as we have waited too long for it. We will all be keeping an eye on progress to see that these projects reach their final welcome conclusion.