London Road, Bexhill

Overview

We would like your views on the London Road, Bexhill – Traffic Management & Public Realm proposals.

East Sussex County Council (ESCC), in conjunction with Rother District Council (RDC), are consulting on plans to enhance the public realm and improve traffic management in the London Road area of Bexhill.  As an important gateway for those visiting, running businesses and living in the town, the function and appearance of this area is considered crucial for the future vibrancy and commercial success of the town centre.

A successful public realm provides safe spaces for people to meet, encouraging people to come into the town more often and spend more time there. The proposals outlined in this consultation aim to create an inviting and safe environment, attracting more visitors to the town centre and facilitating economic growth.

ESCC has recently introduced a controlled parking zone in Bexhill to better manage and enforce parking in the area and RDC has identified issues regarding the condition and appearance of the street scene in this locality and has been working to tackle problems including environmental health issues and building appearance. The design options presented in this consultation build on this work and assist in establishing a better balance between pedestrians and vehicle movement. The scheme is being funded using Local Growth Fund (LGF) monies secured through the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) together with Community Infrastructure Levy funding.

The proposals are described below with two options for Town Hall Square and one design option each for the Buckhurst Place/Sackville Road junction and the London Road/Beeching Road junction.

Why your views matter

Please tell us what you think of the following options:

Town Hall Square (Option A) - This option removes the current gyratory system around Memorial Gardens and provides a new priority junction in order to create a larger and enhanced public space. The footways will be resurfaced with a consistent red tarmac material (as used elsewhere in the town), additional pedestrian crossing facilities will be provided on Buckhurst Place and the landscaping of the gardens will be enhanced. Vehicle access to the Town Hall car park will be retained.

As shown on the drawing the proposed works also include the introduction of:

• A new (southern) bus stop located on London Road;
• A new (eastern) bus stop located on Buckhurst Place;

These stops are required to replace the existing ones outside the Town Hall.

• New loading bay located on Station Road which will be in operation Monday-Saturday from 8.00am to 6.00pm;
• A new loading bay on London Road near the Town House Public House will be operation Monday-Saturday from 8.00am to 6.00pm;
• A new zebra crossing facility on Buckhurst Place; and
• New cycle parking facilities.

This design option has been tested using a multi-modal traffic flow simulation software package and the model forecasts that the proposed design allows the road network to operate within capacity in all peak hours.  However, it should be noted that in order to implement this design a reduction in both taxi and general parking facilities will be necessary as highlighted below:

• The proposed arrangement includes provision for 3 taxi bays, thus a reduction of up to 4 spaces;
• This design option also proposes a total of 17 general parking bays, therefore there will be a loss of around 17 parking spaces.  These bays will operate as per existing (Pay and Display Mon – Sat 8am – 6pm, max stay 2 hours).

It is recognised that this proposal will also impact on local and community bus services with relocated stops and reduced route flexibility.

Town Hall Square (Option A)

Town Hall Square (Option B) – This is a simpler proposal which will retain the current gyratory arrangement and introduce a new zebra crossing at the southern end of London Road. This is currently proposed as a raised zebra crossing to help reduce speeds, however, it could be implemented as a standard zebra crossing.  Kerb works around the junctions will help to slow down traffic and reduced crossing distances will allow pedestrians to cross more safely.  The footways will be resurfaced with a consistent red tarmac material (as used elsewhere in the town) and the gardens will benefit from enhanced landscaping helping to improve the public realm.  The bus stops will remain in their current positions and be upgraded, and cycle parking facilities will be provided. 

All 7 taxi spaces will remain as part of this design option, and 23 general parking spaces will be provided.  This is an overall reduction of approximately 11 spaces. These bays will operate as per existing (Pay and Display Mon – Sat 8am – 6pm, max stay 2 hours).

Town Hall Square (Option B)

Buckhurst Place/Sackville Road junction – The proposed design incorporates a mini-roundabout at this junction to improve the traffic management arrangements in this location.

The footways on both sides of the road under Sackville Road bridge are proposed to be permanently widened and resurfaced with a red tarmac material (as used elsewhere in the town). The junction of Windsor Road is to be squared up by introducing a kerb build-out on the eastern side and an informal pedestrian crossing point introduced. A new informal pedestrian crossing is also proposed in Terminus Road.  The pedestrian deterrent paving will be removed, guard railing rationalised and the whole area will be resurfaced with a consistent red tarmac footway material, improving the public realm. Cycle parking stands are also proposed in this location.

Buckhurst Place/Sackville Road junction

Beeching Road j/w London Road – The proposed design is to provide a mini-roundabout at this junction to improve traffic management and issues of queuing traffic backing up along London Road onto the junction with the A259. In addition to this main design change, the proposed highway layout includes improving the pedestrian crossing point located across Beeching Road, resurfacing footways in a red tarmac material (as used elsewhere in the town) and including a red ‘gateway’ surfacing material on the carriageway in London Road.

Beeching Road j/w London Road

All the design options will provide other improvements to the public realm through:

Street furniture that is well suited, offering clear benefit for all users, with a consistent style to ensure visual continuity.

Planting that respects the historic character of the town, bringing texture and colour to special areas.

Signage that is simple and well positioned to convey essential information only.

What happens next

East Sussex Highways takes data protection seriously. Please be assured that your information will be used appropriately in line with data protection legislation, will be stored securely and will not be processed unless the requirements for fair and lawful processing can be met. Please see the website link for further information: www.eastsussexhighways.com/privacy-notice-eshconsultations

All responses received will be treated in the strictest confidence; the Council will use the responses from this questionnaire for research purposes only.