Supporters of the restitution of the rail link between the two towns say the proposed 'greenway' will not solve road traffic congestion. They believe this 'greenwashing' only benefits 'well-heeled horse-riders and recreational cyclists with time on their hands.'
Wealden District Council plans to allocate more than £500k matched by Lewes District Council covering another third of the costs. The South Downs National Park Authority is said to decide on the remainder. This money focuses on building a bridge link near Lewes and Hamsey as a starting point for the scheme.
The ultimate vision is an 'active travel path,' mostly repurposing the former railway line as a means to walk or ride all or part of the distance between the two towns.
But writer and Wealden Line Campaign founder Brian Hart says : "Developers are now using cycle paths to expedite their torrent of housing applications. This myth of 'Active Travel' is not transport infrastructure."
Some councillors believe the creation of the greenway is a sop to would-be developers who need to prove adequate infrastructure connection to Owlsbury Farm, a proposed 1,700 homes scheme west of Uckfield.
Brian continued: "We don't object to a so-called Greenway to Uckfield; however it should not encroach upon the full-width railway formation which Network Rail insists must remain wholly safeguarded.
"Today Uckfield, Buxted and Crowborough - a combined population of 42,000 residents - are effectively marooned on a 46-mile-long siding from London. Along with burgeoning Edenbridge and Oxted, these populations are denied expeditious train services to the Sussex coast.
"Any trackbed intrusion will stifle the delivery of a double-track main line. Having fought for this railway for 40 years we feel a profound sense of betrayal from once-fervent allies in the LibDem and Green parties who love flaunting their environmental credentials!"