Eastbourne residents to protest against bus lane proposals ahead of council decision

Proposals to add a bus lane in Seaside, which would run from east of Gilbert Road to Langney Rise roundabout, have concerned residents who say it could ‘potentially put a lot of people out of business’.

Jodie Atherton, sales manager at DB Domestics in Seaside, said: “Businesses are really concerned because they’ll lose all of their parking, they won’t be able to load and unload.

“People won’t be able to come to us and park, and we do rely on a massive amount of out-of-town business .

“When there’s roadworks in Seaside, our business drops about 75 per cent.”

The new bus lanes have been proposed as part of the government-funded Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), for which East Sussex County Council was awarded £41.4m to deliver in Eastbourne, Newhaven and Peacehaven.

A spokesperson for East Sussex Highways said the improvements are designed ‘to provide a more reliable service for residents and visitors, encourage greater use of public transport, and tackle congestion in these areas’.

Staff at DB Domestics have been fighting the Seaside proposals ‘tooth and nail’ since finding out about the public consultation just four days before it ended.

Tomorrow, Councillor Claire Dowling, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment, is set to make a decision on which of the schemes to take forward.

Ms Atherton said ‘it’s D-Day’ for residents fighting the proposals, who will be marching to the council building in Lewes at 10am to await Cllr Dowling’s decision.

She added: “What’s now a thriving community - it’s got everything, all the amenities you could want - could become just empty buildings that are turned into houses.

“There’s a lot of ramifications and the gravity of the situation is huge for everyone involved.”

Margaret Geering owns a flat in Seaside. She worries the loss of parking will particularly affect elderly people in the area.

"There are a lot of elderly people living in the flats,” she said.

"There’s a continuous stream of carers going into Derby House. So where are all those poor carers going to park?

“I feel there are a lot more important things that this money could be spent on.

“We’ve got a cost of living crisis and this is not government money, it’s taxpayers’ money.

“The town is just full of potholes, the roads are in a terrible state. I think that should be taken into account.”

In addition to the proposed bus lanes, further improvements which could be made in Seaside include: the addition of a shared use cycle path; new and upgraded pedestrian crossings including a toucan crossing at the Seaside Roundabout; traffic signal upgrades at several junctions along A259 Seaside Road to provide bus priority, and relocation of bus stops.