Controversial proposals for new bus lanes in Eastbourne will move ahead, a senior county councillor has decided.

On Monday (November 18), Cllr Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment, agreed for officers to move ahead with plans to install new bus lanes along the A259, Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue.

The proposals, which were put out to consultation over the summer, are a revised version of plans considered by the council last year.

The previous versions of the plans would have seen bus lanes running on both sides of the road. This saw strong opposition from residents and businesses due to the loss of parking spaces.

A bus stopping on Seaside, Eastbourne. (Photo by Jon Rigby)

placeholder image — A bus stopping on Seaside, Eastbourne. (Photo by Jon Rigby)

Officers said the revised scheme addressed these concerns by only having the bus lanes on one side of the road. The revisions also include changes to road crossings, the removal of several traffic islands and the introduction of new parking spaces.

But objectors argued the revised scheme remained unacceptable and introduced new problems in terms of highway safety, pollution and congestion.

Jodie Atherton, a campaigner opposed to the scheme, said: “Our original issue was the almost 100 per cent loss of parking; our concerns this time is for the safety of the plans and the increased level of congestion that it will cause.”

Ms Atherton, who works for DB Domestics in Seaside, also highlighted concerns around pollution and air quality as a result of ‘idling traffic’.

These concerns were shared by ward councillor David Tutt (Lib Dem), who also raised fears around the proposals creating new ‘rat runs’ in the surrounding area.

However, Tom Neville, a climate campaigner and lead petitioner representing those in favour of the proposals, said: “Eastbourne holds a unique place in transport history and is home to the world’s oldest municipal bus company … [the town] now has the opportunity to honour this legacy and move closer to reach our goal of carbon neutrality by 2030.

“One key step in reaching that goal is to make buses more convenient and reliable for everyone.”

Among those who responded to the consultation process, 56 per cent were in favour of the scheme compared to 36 per cent against.

Officers said these results represented a “marked difference” when compared to results of the previous consultation, which saw 76 per cent of respondents say they were strongly opposed to the original scheme.

A petition opposing the scheme had gathered 2,531 signatures, while the petition in support only gathered 494 signatures.

Cllr Dowling agreed for the scheme to move ahead to its next stage. This will involve the development of a detailed design and the council requesting sign off from government on its amendments.

Cllr Dowling said: “I know this is a very controversial, very emotive subject, particularly for those who live and work … within the area concerned.

“I am very pleased to see that we had a very good survey response as well. The increased support is there and the number of opposition has decreased to 37 per cent. For me that means officers have listened and have sought to address the concerns that were previously raised.”