£24m link road in transport strategy report

The link road forms part of the 1.1bn strategy by consultants Halcrow in its final report on the area's transport problems.

Findings also include extra train services for Bexhill, a half-hourly regional express, and a station at Glyne Gap.

The link road, it said, should increase capacity and relieve congestion west of Hastings, and would be built between 2003 and 2007.

Most significant for the town, as part of the study's 109m suggested rail investment, would be more trains by 2012, with some on line by 2007.

In addition to the new station at Glyne Gap there would be a half-hourly regional express between Ashford and Southampton, stopping at Bexhill and three stopping trains per hour from Hastings calling at all stations between Ore and Eastbourne.

Bexhill would therefore get five trains an hour, one more than the Hastings and Rother Regeneration Partnership suggested in its five-point plan.

SocoMMS also endorsed the need for new station at West St Leonards and possibly Wilting Farm.

It recommended quality bus partnerships should be promoted for more frequent urban and rural services, and several bus priority schemes were identified within the Bexhill-Hastings area.

The findings showed traffic congestion in the Bexhill and Hastings area created unreliable journey times; the A259 between Bexhill and Hastings was of insufficient standard to cater for demand; and economic regeneration was a key local policy issue.

The study also proposed significantly increasing long-stay public parking charges, using a fee hierarchy reflecting the town's size; and increase in short-stay charges to encourage people on to public transport and park and ride. It would also like to see a levy on all work-place parking spaces in core urban areas and out of town retail parks.

The 177-page blueprint for south coast transport over the next 30 years also suggested doubling part of the track between Hastings and Ashford.

The overall strategy costs 1.1bn, with 594m for strategic highways investment; 99m for local highways and public transport measures; 26m for buses and 108.5m investment in rail enhancements.

And while it recognised building new sections of railway, new stations and park and ride sites will impact on the environment, the region's landscape and biodiversity, it said the challenge would be to provide them in a way which would minimise this.

Rejected strategies included a high speed coastal rail link; trunk road tolls and a coastal motorway.