20 May 2009

PRESS RELEASE – IMMEDIATE

HASTINGS OBSERVER ON-LINE POLL :

TWO TO ONE AGAINST THE PROPOSED LINK ROAD!

In a poll conducted by the Hastings Observer, 62% of respondents who voted on the question: ‘Do you support the Hastings to Bexhill Link Road’ were against the scheme.

Chairman of the Hastings Alliance for Sustainable Transport Solutions Nick Bingham said:

‘Polls such as this have a limited value, but they suggest that there are many who are beginning to question the wisdom of spending £100m on a scheme that trashes a valley treasured for its wildlife and tranquillity for no apparent reason. It has never been conclusively shown that the road is a key to regeneration, much of which is happening anyway without any new road. To base the fortunes of Hastings and Bexhill on a destructive scheme such as this is in our view a huge mistake. Even East Sussex County Council – promoters of the road – say that there will be more traffic with it than without it, and there is strong evidence to suggest that the public transport alternatives will be undermined as car commuting becomes a more attractive option.’

The Hastings Alliance believes that Hastings and Bexhill should build on their strengths. These include the uniquely beautiful Combe Haven Valley, cherished by many – and just a stone’s throw away from a population of 140,000 people. The poll certainly contradicts the claim made in the County Council’s ‘Your County’ magazine that the Link Road has ‘overwhelming support’.

Nick Bingham

Chairman, Hastings Alliance.