The results of a community vote on traffic calming in Winchelsea were announced in August 2023
From Winchelsea Residents Association:
Strand Hill Closure Proposal
Thank you to everyone who voted as part of the wider informal consultation on local traffic calming. The vote was managed by the Parish Council and the Clerk has now published the result. It reports 297 eligible votes received: 61% in favour of Strand Hill full closure, 4% for one way closure and 35% for ‘do nothing’.
This is a clear majority for taking the project forward based on closure, which is the only realistic option that East Sussex Highways have said they are prepared , in principle, to approve. The results of the informal consultation have now been sent to East Sussex Highways to consider. We know that residents are keen to see this issue settled in good time and the Residents Association has written to the Parish Council to request that the majority vote be recognised and to confirm its support for a proposal to be formally submitted to East Sussex County Council.
If the project is referred for consideration and then approved by the County Council, the next step is a formal statutory consultation which is generally done by advertising the proposal in local media. The final stage is approval of a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which sets out the full details of the necessary works. These stages may take a few more months.
The WRA Committee believes that the substantial majority achieved by the recent informal consultation and previous votes for action justify continuing the process. Otherwise, all the work done in the last four years by so many people and the initiatives done prior to this, could be completely wasted.
The Parish Council is meeting on Monday 11th September at 7.15pm at Icklesham Memorial Village Hall. We understand traffic calming is on the agenda and will update members following the meeting.
A259
Following WRA’s approach to her, Sally-Ann Hart MP has written to the Minister for Roads at the Department for Transport about the need for major improvements to the A259 at Winchelsea. His response is awaited. Separately,
we have written to Sussex Police about the speeding on the trunk road, sending the evidence provided by the parish council’s Black Cat device which showed that in one week 73% of vehicles at Rectory Lane had exceeded the 30mph limit (rising to 78% on one day) and on just one day 60 vehicles exceeded 60mph and 37 of those exceeded 65mph.
We have also met PC Demi Georghiou at Rectory Lane and are now considering a Speedwatch campaign which would likely merge with a Speedwatch proposal being prepared for the central town.
Meanwhile, consultation on the final draft of the county council’s new Local Transport Plan (LTP4) should begin soon and we shall follow up our comments at the earlier stages, including on the need for action to discourage dangerous driving along Station Road and other local roads.
