15 October 2025 – Planning Committee
Local Members: Councillors Stephen Holt, Pat Rodohan and Brett Wright
Proposals where objections are recommended to not be upheld and are recommended to be implemented as advertised
1. No Right Turn into A259 Upperton Road from Hartfield Road
1.1 2 objections were received with concerns about the proposed No Right Turn into A259 Upperton Road from Hartfield Road.
1.2 The right-turn ban out of Hartfield Road is proposed due to visibility being restricted when there is a bus at the Harfield Road bus stop. Vehicles wishing to turn right onto A259 Upperton Road may do so via The Avenue junction, it is expected that this will be a more attractive alternative to turning left out of Harfield Road and using Station roundabout.
Recommendation: To not uphold the objections and install the proposal as advertised.
2.1 3 objections were received regarding the No U-Turns at the A259 Upperton Road and The Avenue junction. These were regarding access to the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park and Wharf Road when travelling west from Eastbourne town centre.
2.2 There is currently a TRO in place stipulating No U-Turns at the A259 Upperton Road/The Avenue junction, however there is currently no signage for this. Therefore, this movement is currently not enforceable albeit the current number of vehicles undertaking this manoeuvre is relatively low.
2.3 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 in order to measure the impact of proposed changes.
2.4 The micro-simulation model for the scheme has been used to determine whether the U-turn movement could be safely introduced. To safely introduce the U-turn would mean retaining the existing traffic signal phasing pattern at the A259/The Avenue junction. Under the TRO it is proposed to update traffic signal phasing to allow the A259 westbound right turn and The Avenue left turn phases concurrently which would improve the capacity of the signalised junction. Therefore, the modelling has identified that enabling the U-turn movement would reduce the scheme benefits in terms of journey time savings for buses and general traffic. Under this proposed TRO appropriate signage will be added to enable enforcement of the existing No U-Turn TRO.
2.5 Officers are recommending to uphold, in part, objections to the No Right Turn into The Enterprise Shopping Centre car park from A259 Upperton Road (see Appendix 3 of this report). Therefore, those vehicles travelling west from Eastbourne town centre who currently U-turn at the A259/The Avenue junction to access the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park will be permitted to turn right into the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park from the A259 Upperton Road. However, those travelling west from Eastbourne town centre wanting to access Wharf Road will not be able to U-turn at the A259/The Avenue junction and need to take an alternative route.
Recommendation: To not uphold the objections and install the proposal as advertised.
3.1 1 objection was received regarding the no right turn into Upperton Road from the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park on the basis it would inconvenience business visitors to travel down towards Station roundabout and back up Station Parade/Upperton Road.
3.2 The proposed no right turn into A259 Upperton Road from the Enterprise Shopping Centre car park under this TRO maintains the current restrictions in place.[ES4] [IH5]
Recommendation: To not uphold the objection and install the proposal as advertised.
4.1 9 objections were received regarding the introduction of the eastbound bus lane. Concerns were raised regarding the reduction of 2 lanes of general traffic to one lane of general traffic to accommodate the new bus lane and that this would cause more congestion. There were also concerns about customers of the Enterprise Shopping Centre needing to cross the bus lane to access the car park.
4.2 In August and September 2024, traffic surveys were undertaken to understand congestion levels and driver behaviour. A Micro-simulation (Vissim) model was used to digitally replicate traffic patterns of all road users, measuring the impact of proposed changes. This data was then used to model traffic patterns for all road users. The traffic simulation model analysed peak journey times between A259 and Eastbourne Station, as well as between the A2040 (The Avenue/Upper Avenue) and Eastbourne Station.
4.3 The modelling results showed journey time savings during peak hours for both buses and general traffic by;
· retaining the staggered signalised crossing at the A259/The Avenue junction
· modifying the nearside lane on A259 Station Parade to provide the eastbound bus lane
· amending the signal phasing at both the A259/The Avenue junction and the A259 Terminus Road / Gildredge Road / Susans Road junction
4.4 Those wanting to turn left into the Enterprise Centre car park from the A259 would need to be in the right-hand lane on the approach and turn left across the break in the bus lane to access the car park. The break in the bus lane is designed to accommodate this and equally those turning left out of the Enterprise Centre would also cross the break into the bus lane to access the right-hand lane. This is not an unusual manoeuvre for a vehicle to undertake with similar design and road layouts having been implemented in Eastbourne (Gildredge Road), other parts of East Sussex and locations across the UK.[ES6] [HB7] A Stage 1 Road Safety Audit on the preliminary design was carried out in January 2025. A Stage 2 Road Safety Audit for the detailed design is programmed for November 2025.
Recommendation: To not uphold the objection and install the proposal as advertised.
5. Loading restrictions
5.1 2 objections were received regarding the proposed loading restrictions under the TRO. The objections raised general concerns that the removal of the current permitted loading/unloading would negatively impact local businesses.
5.2 The loading restriction on A259 Station Parade between Wharf Road and the Enterprise Centre car park is proposed to keep the bus lane free flowing, any vehicle stopping to load or unload would result in the bus lane losing its benefit. Loading bays are currently present on St Leonard’s Road and Southfields Road, approximately 100 metres and 50 metres away respectively from either end of the shops.
Recommendation: To not uphold the objection and install the proposal as advertised.
[BH1]For good governance and cleanliness - I would ask that appendices have dates of the meetings within them
[BH2]The file name will also need to be updated to include the date of the meeting and any additional items which have been added i.e ‘legal 29.09.25 ES changes’ be removed
[HB3]Have added the meeting date. Happy to rename the file once declared the final version, but for the purposes of the review, have left the file name as is to avoid confusion with previous versions
[ES4]Also, does the presence of the existing central reservation prevent any right turn from being made?? If so, possibly worth mentioning.
[IH5]There is currently a central reservation that prevents this movement being made. Under this BSIP scheme the central reservation is being removed.
[ES6]Assume this proposal has and will be subject to a Road Safety Audit? If so, possibly worth mentioning that the RSA findings support the changes proposed?
[HB7]As the RSA touched on various aspects of the design, our suggestion would be keep mention in this Appendix as purely factual with the dates, and we engage with our designers to prepare for questions regarding the specifics of the RSA findings