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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 Upperton Road/Station Parade, Eastbourne – 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 Upperton Road and Station Parade, Eastbourne. |
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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 Stephen Holt, Pat Rodohan and Brett Wright |
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;
2) Uphold in part the objections to the draft Order as set out in Appendix 3 to this report; and
3) Recommend to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport that the Traffic Regulation Order be made in part.
1.1 The A259 Upperton Road/Station Parade Bus Priority Scheme in Eastbourne is part of a package of bus priority measures that the County Council initially consulted upon with the public and stakeholders in summer 2023 at feasibility stage.
1.2 Approval to progress the scheme to preliminary design, detailed design and construction was given by the County Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Environment at her decision-making meeting in January 2024.
1.3 The scheme will be funded through Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) capital funding that the County Council has received from Government to specifically deliver bus priority infrastructure in the county.
1.4 The introduction of the A259 Upperton Road/Station Parade bus priority scheme will build on the existing bus priority measures in Eastbourne town centre on Terminus Road from the station to Bankers Corner, as well as in Gildredge Road. The scheme is integral to fulfilling the goals specified in the East Sussex Local Transport Plan 4 and the East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan. It aims to expand access to high-quality bus services for residents, optimise journey times by minimising delays, and provide a frequent, integrated, and comprehensive alternative to car travel within Eastbourne.
1.5 The bus priority measures will help to support connectivity to key destinations in Eastbourne, including the town centre, reduce congestion, and improve bus journey times and strengthen the resilience of the transport network. The measures will also positively contribute towards improving air quality as well as decarbonising transport and travel to support 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 proposed bus priority measures along Upperton Road and Station Parade in Eastbourne are:
Bus Lanes in the following lengths of road in Eastbourne:
· Station Parade (north-eastern side)
· Terminus Road (northern side)
Left Turn Only in the following road in Eastbourne:
· Wharf Road - left turn only into Station Parade
No Loading At Any Time in the following roads in Eastbourne:
· Grove Road (north-western side)
· Grove Road (south-eastern side)
· Southfields Road (northern side)
· Southfields Road (southern side)
· Station Parade (north-eastern side)
· Station Roundabout (all sides)
· Terminus Road (northern side)
· Terminus Road (southern side)
· The Avenue (both sides)
· Upperton Road (north-eastern road)
· Wharf Road (both sides)
No Right Turn in the following roads in Eastbourne:
· Hartfield Road- no right turn into Upperton Road
· The Enterprise Shopping Centre car park - no right turn into Upperton Road
· Upperton Road- no right turn into The Enterprise Shopping Centre car park
1.7 It was identified by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) officers after the close of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) advertisement that the “Proposed Order moving-text based” document included a slight overlap of the designations of bus lane on Station Parade (north-eastern side). However, this discrepancy does not negate the TRO as it covers the correct area proposed for the bus lane, and the Order will be updated to reflect the correct lengths prior to sealing the final Order that becomes enforceable.
2.1 An initial informal consultation on the proposed A259 Upperton Road/Station Parade, Eastbourne – TRO/519 was undertaken between 16 December 2024 and 16 January 2025 with the local Borough and County Councillors, residents, businesses, bus operators and statutory consultees including the emergency services. 23 responses were received.
2.2 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 - A259 Upperton Road and Station Parade, Eastbourne – TRO/519. A copy of the Notice is included at Appendix 1.
2.3 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 documents relevant to the proposed TRO were available to view at Eastbourne Town Hall and County Hall in Lewes. 1,400 postcards with details of the consultation were delivered to residential and business properties along the scheme extent. 119 local Eastbourne businesses were emailed with details of the proposed TRO and how to make a representation. Active travel groups and accessibility groups were also emailed. The consultation was placed on the Council’s Consultation Hub website and residents were also invited to provide their feedback by email and by post. Residents were provided with a contact telephone number if they wished to request the TRO information in an alternative format. The formal period for representations ended on 13 June 2025.
2.4 During the formal consultation period, 29 representations were received in relation to the proposal. 14 of these were supportive; and 15 were objections. Full copies of the correspondence received and responses from ESCC have been made available in the Members’ Room and have also been made available to Planning Committee Members in electronic format.
2.5 Appendix 2 outlines a summary of the objections to the draft Order with officer responses. The officer recommendation is to not uphold the objections to the draft Order as set out in Appendix 2. Some objections referenced multiple aspects of the proposed TRO, and therefore the numbers listed in Appendix 2 exceeds the total number of objections received.
2.6 Appendix 3 outlines the remaining objections to the draft Order with officer responses. The officer recommendation is to uphold in part the objections to the draft Order as set out in Appendix 3.
2.7 8 objections were received regarding how the TRO would impact access to the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park. Concerns were raised that the no right turn into the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park from A259 Upperton Road coupled with enforcing the No U Turn at A259 Upperton Road and The Avenue junction would prevent customers from accessing the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park when travelling west from Eastbourne town centre.
2.8 Two meetings were held between ESCC officers, technical design consultants WSP and the Enterprise Shopping Centre Directors in July and September 2025 to listen to their concerns regarding the proposed Order including access to the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park. The September 2025 meeting was also attended by the Eastbourne Business Improvement District (BID) Team.
2.9 A Micro-simulation (Vissim) model was used to digitally replicate traffic patterns of all road users using traffic survey data collected in August and September 2024 to measure the impact of proposed TRO changes. The modelling has shown that enabling the right turn into the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park from A259 Upperton Road would have a minimal impact on general traffic journey times.
2.10 Therefore, following consideration of the consultation responses, further engagement with The Enterprise Shopping Centre and the additional traffic modelling, officers recommend that the objections are upheld in part and to not install the proposal for no right turn into The Enterprise Shopping Centre car park from A259 Upperton Road as advertised.
3. Conclusion and reasons for recommendation