Government should help Hastings not trash it

9 October 2009

Richard George, the group’s roads and climate campaigner, said:
 
“I cannot believe that the Government really thinks that the best way to spend £100 million regenerating Bexhill and Hastings would be to plough it into a road scheme, ignoring regional studies which showed that improving the area’s rail links is vital to attract inward investment. To make matters worse, East Sussex will have to raid tens of millions from vital services to pay for this monstrosity because it failed to attract any contributions from developers.”

Derrick Coffee from the Hastings Alliance added:

“That the Government is willing to approve £100 million on an environmentally damaging road scheme with no evidence that it will bring economic benefits is very worrying and hugely disappointing, especially as alternatives have never been properly investigated. “The scheme would deliver more traffic and congestion, with higher CO2 emissions, and would undermine walking, cycling and public transport initiatives for years to come. Approving this road, which has doubled in cost in just four years, sends a terrible message to councils across the UK, especially in the run-up to the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen.”