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Committee: |
Regulatory Planning Committee
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Date: |
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Report by: |
Director of Communities, Economy and Transport
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Title of Report |
A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue – Traffic Regulation Order
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Purpose of Report: |
To consider the objections received in response to the formal consultation on the draft Traffic Regulation Order associated with the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) Bus Priority Scheme on A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue. |
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Contact Officer:
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Humphrey Basset – tel. 01273 482416 |
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Local Member:
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Councillors David Tutt, Stephen Holt and Penny di Cara |
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Planning Committee is recommended to:
1) Not uphold the objections to the draft Order as set out in Appendix 2 to this report; and
2) Recommend to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport that the Traffic Regulation Order be made as advertised.
1.1 The A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue Bus Priority Scheme in Eastbourne is part of a package of bus priority measures identified in the East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan.
1.2 Initial consultation was undertaken in summer 2023 at feasibility stage. Following consideration of the consultation outcomes at the Lead Member for Transport and Environment decision-making meeting in January 2024, a further consultation was undertaken in summer 2024 on revised scheme proposals as requested by the Lead Member.
1.3 The outcomes of the summer 2024 consultation were reported to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment in November 2024 where the Lead Member resolved to progress the revised scheme to preliminary design, detailed design and construction.
1.4 Introducing the A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue bus priority scheme is integral to delivering the objectives of the East Sussex Local Transport Plan 4, enabling residents to enjoy higher quality bus services, improved journey times with reduced delays, that provide a frequent, integrated and comprehensive choice and an alternative to the car. The proposals also aim to improve safety and accessibility for all road users within the area.
1.5 The bus priority measures seek to deliver connectivity to key destinations, reduce congestion and strengthen the resilience of the transport network; make a positive contribution towards improving air quality as well as decarbonising transport and travel to support the achievement of the County Council’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest and Eastbourne Borough Council’s same ambition by 2030.
1.6 The scheme is being funded by East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan capital funding, which the County Council has received from the Government’s Department for Transport for the purpose of delivering bus priority infrastructure within the county.
1.7 A summary of the Notice of the proposals is listed below. A full version of the Notice is detailed at Appendix 1.
East Sussex County Council proposes to introduce:
Bus Lanes in the following lengths of road in Eastbourne:
· Seaside (north-western side)
· Seaside (south-eastern side)
· St Anthonys Avenue (south-eastern side)
Bus Stop Clearways in the following roads in Eastbourne:
· Seaside (north-western side)
· Seaside (south-eastern side)
· St Anthony’s Avenue (north-western side)
· St Anthony’s Avenue (south-eastern side)
No Waiting At Any Time in the following roads in Eastbourne:
· Allfrey Road (both sides)
· Finmere Road (both sides)
· Romney Street (both sides)
· Rye Street (both sides)
· Seaside (north-western side)
· Seaside (south-eastern side)
· Southbourne Road (north-eastern side)
· St Anthony’s Avenue (north-western side)
· St Anthony’s Avenue (south-eastern side)
· St Anthony’s Avenue Service Road East
· St Anthony’s Avenue Service Road West
Time Limited 8am - 6pm maximum stay 1 hour no return within 1 hour in the following road in Eastbourne:
· Seaside (south-eastern side)
Introduce or alter pedestrian crossings in the following locations in Eastbourne:
· Seaside – outside Nos. 342 and 347, with the associated zig-zag markings extending for a total distance of 30.8 metres on the north-west side and 47.8 metres on the south-east side.
· Seaside – outside St Andrew’s Church, with the associated zig-zag markings extending for a total distance of 22.7 metres on the north-west side and 52.5 metres on the south-east side.
· Seaside – approximately 40 metres south-west of Seaside Roundabout (at the side of Wren Kitchens), with the associated zig-zag markings extending for a total distance of 44.8 metres on both sides.
· Seaside – outside No. 511, with the associated zig-zag markings extending for a total distance of 44.7 metres on the north-west side and 32 metres on the south-east side.
· Seaside – outside Queen Alexandra’s Cottage Homes and No. 1 Winston Crescent, with the associated zig-zag markings extending for a total distance of 30.9 metres on the north-west side and 43.7 metres on the south-east side.
2. Comments and Appraisal
2.1 An initial informal consultation on the proposed Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue took place between 16 December 2024 and 16 January 2025 with the local Borough and County Councillors, bus operators, businesses, residents and statutory consultees including the emergency services. 236 comments were received.
2.2 As a direct result of the informal feedback received, a number of design changes were made including:
· permitting cyclists to use the new eastbound and westbound bus lanes and;
· additional zig-zag strokes across Southbourne Road, Finmere Road and Queens Crescent,
· a limited wait parking between 8am-6pm of 1 hour no return was introduced on the south side of Seaside between Rye Street and Winchelsea Road.
2.3
Following the
initial informal consultation, Sussex Police confirmed their
support for the scheme. No response was received from East Sussex
Fire & Rescue or South East Coast Ambulance
service.
2.4 On 23 May 2025, the County Council gave notice under the relevant sections of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, that it was proposing to make a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO/520) for A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue by advertisement. A copy of the TRO Notice as advertised, is included at Appendix 1.
2.5 The notice was advertised in the Eastbourne Herald on 23 May 2025. Copies of the notice were placed on posts and lamp-columns along the scheme extent. Hard copies of the TRO documents were available to view at Eastbourne Town Hall and County Hall in Lewes. 1,400 postcards with details of the consultation were printed and delivered to residential and business properties along the scheme extent. The consultation was placed on the Council’s consultation hub website and residents were also invited to provide their feedback over email and by post. Residents were provided with a telephone number if they needed the TRO information in a different format. The formal period for representations ended on 13 June 2025.
2.6 Following the closure of the formal TRO 520 consultation for A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue, some errors were identified in the advertised TRO documents. These included typographical errors pertaining to certain road names and zig-zag road marking lengths. To ensure residents are provided with accurate information, the formal TRO for A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue was readvertised from 18 July to 8 August 2025.
2.7 Those who had previously submitted a representation were informed that they did not need to make a new representation under the TRO re-advertisement.
2.8 During the formal consultation period, including the re-advertisement, 581 representations were received in relation to the proposal. 544 of these were objections and 37 were supportive. 5 people withdrew their objection following information provided to them by the Council.
2.9 Objections cited a number of themes; perceived increase to congestion and journey times, loss of parking, implementation of pedestrian crossings and crossing safety, school drop off safety, bus build outs, loading, deliveries and taxis, implications on emergency services, increase in air pollution, impact on businesses, the TRO consultation process, funding and its suitability to the scheme citing it could be better used on alternative projects, existing road widths and widening provisions, unreliable bus services, manoeuvres onto side streets and cyclist considerations. Full copies of the representations received, and officers’ responses have been made available in the Members’ room and have also been made available to Planning Committee Members in electronic format.
2.10 Each objection has been considered individually and a summary of the objections and officer responses are included in Appendix 2.
2.11 Consideration to the loss of on street parking has been given throughout the design of the scheme and it was one of the key reasons for the further consultation in summer 2024. However, a key scheme objective is to promote bus service journey time improvements in lieu of journeys otherwise being undertaken by car. Therefore, a balanced approach has been taken throughout the design of the route. This has reflected that there are competing needs for the available roadspace along the corridor, and therefore the design sought to provide for buses and mitigate safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists whilst also minimising impact on vehicles and parking. A Stage 1 Road Safety Audit of the scheme design was carried out in June 2025.
2.12 Having considered the objections, officers are satisfied that there are not sufficient grounds for the proposals to be withdrawn and that the objections should not be upheld.
2.13 The officer recommendation is to not uphold the objections to the draft Order as set out in Appendix 2. The numbers listed in Appendix 2 exceed the total number of objections received since many objections referenced multiple themes and therefore many representations are counted under more then one theme.
3. Conclusion and reasons for recommendation
3.1 The Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue Bus Priority Scheme in Eastbourne is part of a wider package of bus priority measures that is funded through the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding that East Sussex County Council has received from Government to deliver bus priority infrastructure in the county.
3.2 Introducing the A259 Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue bus priority scheme is integral to delivering the objectives of the East Sussex Local Transport Plan 4 and East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan, enabling residents to enjoy higher quality bus services, improved journey times with reduced delays, that provide a frequent, integrated and comprehensive choice and an alternative to the car. The proposals also aim to improve safety and accessibility for all road users within the area.
3.3 The scheme is currently at detailed design stage and is programmed for construction in 2026/27.
3.4 The TRO will enable:
· The introduction of a new eastbound bus lane between Windermere Crescent and Seaside Roundabout and a new westbound bus lane between Langney Roundabout and Seaside Roundabout.
· New and upgraded pedestrian crossings.
· New uncontrolled on-street parking to help mitigate against the loss of parking.
3.5 The approach in trying to resolve objections to the Orders has been to appraise the concerns raised by residents and other road users, whilst meeting road safety standards and the objectives of the scheme. Officers consider that for reasons presented in this report, objections should not be upheld and the proposals in these areas should proceed as advertised.
3.6 It is therefore recommended for the reasons set out in this report, that the Planning Committee does not uphold the objections in Appendix 2 and recommends to the Director of Communities, Economy, and Transport that the Order be made as advertised.