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Questions from members of the public

Committee report · Full Council · Tue 13 Oct 2026 · East Sussex County Council · the whole meeting

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The Lead Member said the Hastings Town Centre Green Connections scheme, which includes cycling links along Harold Place and Havelock Road, is in procurement and construction is expected to be completed by 2028. p1p2

The Lead Member said the Council is updating its Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan and will consult on it shortly. p2

Another resident asked about resurfacing of Prince Edward's Road, Mount Pleasant, Offham Road and The Avenue, and the Lead Member replied that the roads are assessed through the Council's Highway Asset Management Policy and that no date could be given for resurfacing. p4p8p9

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  • p1QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC Q1) Edward Stevens - St Leonards, East Sussex Hastings and St Leonards is in dire need of more extensive, integrated cycling infrastructure. We feel desperately underrepresented. What actions is East Sussex County Council taking to improve and expand integrated cycling infrastructure in Hastings and St Leonards? Response by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment The County Council recognises the importance of high quality, integrated cycling infrastructure and understands the desire to see further improvements in Hastings and St Leonards to enable people to cycle for daily journeys, including to school, training, work or for leisure. The policy framework for cycling and active travel is set out in the East Sussex Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) which covers the period 2024 to 2050. This recognises the need for transport choice but highlights the need to encourage and enable inclusive and sustainable travel - walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport - alongside adopting vehicles with cleaner fuels and utilising emerging transport technologies to improve our resilience to climate change. The East Sussex Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), adopted in September 2021, sets out in more detail a proposed network for active travel routes and measures to support the development of safer, more attractive and better connected walking, wheeling and cycling networks across the county, including in Hastings and St Leaonard’s. There are several improvements in the Hastings area that are either underway or in development that support active travel. The most significant current project is the Hastings Town Centre Green Connections scheme. The scheme will improve public spaces and connectivity within the town centre, including enhanced cycling links along Harold Place and Havelock Road between Hastings rail station and the seafront, together with additional cycle parking facilities.
  • p2The project is currently in the procurement phase, with construction expected to be completed by 2028. As part of the soon to be completed Station Approach scheme, the signal timings at the signalised junction have already been updated to improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists as well as vehicles, travelling to and from the station. Advanced stop lines have also been provided to assist cyclists travelling through the junction. In addition, recent schemes have been designed to support future cycling improvements. For example, the crossings included at the Albert Road and the A259 Denmark Place junction improvement completed last year have been constructed with sufficient width to allow conversion to Toucan crossings in the future should wider cycling infrastructure be developed. Cycle parking provision has also been improved over recent years. The County Council has worked closely with Southeastern and contributed funding towards additional cycle parking at Hastings Station, including facilities both outside the station and on the platforms. Hastings Borough Council is also exploring opportunities to increase cycle parking elsewhere in the town. Looking ahead, East Sussex County Council is currently updating its LCWIP to reflect the strategy and policies in our East Sussex LTP4 as well as the the latest national active travel policies and guidance. The updated plan, which will be consulted on shortly and will include an interactive map identifying potential future walking, wheeling and cycling routes across East Sussex. While cycling is an important part of the transport network, I am sure that you understand that the County Council must also balance investment and available funding across a range of transport modes and user needs, including walking and wheeling, public transport, road safety as well as importantly the maintenance of the existing highway network.
  • p4Q2) Jeremy Head – Lewes, East Sussex Numerous roads in my local area need urgent resurfacing. They are a hotchpotch of failing patches and holes. They are increasingly dangerous for cyclists and drivers and cause damage to tyres and wheels. Specifically:
  • p8· The lower section of The Avenue before this roundabout Councillor Woolley referred in his East Sussex Together article on 22/9 to 'working with our highways contractor to lever some extra money into road repairs.' When will these sections of road be properly resurfaced? Response by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment I note the concerns raised regarding the condition of Prince Edward's Road, Mount Pleasant, Offham Road and The Avenue. The Council manages highway maintenance through its adopted Highway Asset Management Policy and Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Strategy. These documents set out a risk-based, evidence-led approach to managing the highway network, ensuring that limited funding is directed to those locations where intervention will deliver the greatest benefit in terms of safety, network resilience, asset condition and long-term value for money. Investment decisions are informed by a range of factors including road condition data, safety inspections, network hierarchy, historic maintenance records, deterioration forecasts, traffic levels, and local intelligence. The Council's approach is to apply the right solution, in the right place, at the right time, seeking wherever possible to preserve assets before more extensive and costly failure occurs. The roads identified in the question have been assessed as part of this process. Offham Road, including Mount Pleasant, was previously considered for inclusion within a larger resurfacing scheme. However, following detailed design review, the full scheme was found to be significantly more expensive than initially anticipated and could not be accommodated within the available programme budget. Current assessments indicate that some sections, particularly between Nevill Road and Kingsley Road, are suitable for patching, whereas other sections would require more substantial resurfacing works should funding and programme priorities permit.
  • p9In relation to Prince Edward's Road, the carriageway was last resurfaced in 2010 and current evidence does not indicate a level of deterioration comparable with many higher-priority locations across the county. The bottleneck section referenced has required only limited reactive repairs in recent months, with four pothole repairs recorded since December 2025. As with all roads across the county, its condition will continue to be monitored through routine inspections and condition assessments, and any defects meeting the Council's intervention criteria will be repaired. The reference in Councillor Woolley's article relates to ongoing work with the Council's highways contractor to identify opportunities to maximise maintenance activity and secure the greatest possible value from available funding. While this may enable additional patching and repair works to be undertaken during the year, it does not alter the Council's obligation to prioritise investment across the entirety of the East Sussex highway network in accordance with its asset management strategy. Consequently, I am unable to provide a date at this stage for the resurfacing of the roads identified. Any future resurfacing schemes will continue to be prioritised through the Council's asset management process and, if approved for inclusion in a future maintenance programme, details will be published through the Council's website and other normal channels of communication.

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