Report to:

Lead Member for Transport and Environment

 

Date of meeting:

 

16 February 2026

By:

Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

 

Title:

Petition: Improved Road Safety measures around Chyngton Primary School

 

Purpose:

To consider a petition calling on the County Council for the establishment of a School Street scheme and the installation of a new zebra crossing on Hillside Avenue, Seaford.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS: The Lead Member is recommended to advise the petitioners that:

(1)  a potential scheme to install a new zebra crossing on Hillside Avenue, has been assessed through the approved Local Transport Plan 4 prioritisation process but has not met the benchmark score to be considered for detailed appraisal and possible inclusion for funding within the Capital Programme;

(2)  a new School Street Scheme assessment framework is currently under review and once this is finalised, Chyngton Primary School will be assessed alongside all other schools for a School Street Scheme; and

(3)  once an assessment for all schools has been completed through the approved School Streets Scheme assessment framework, officers will share the outcome for Chyngton Primary School with the Lead Petitioner.

 

 

1              Background Information

1.1.        At the County Council meeting on 2 December 2025, a petition was presented to the Chairman by Councillor Sam Adeniji. The petitioners are requesting establishment of a School Street scheme on Millberg Road and the installation of a new zebra crossing on Hillside Avenue, Seaford.

1.2.         Standing Orders provide that where the Chairman considers it appropriate, petitions are considered by the relevant Committee or Lead Member and a spokesperson for the petitioners is invited to address the Committee. The Chairman has referred this petition to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment. A copy of the petition is available in the Members’ Room.

1.3       Crash data supplied by Sussex Police shows that there have been no personal injury crashes in Hillside Avenue or Millberg Road for the most recent 3-year period up to 30 November 2025.

2              Supporting Information

2.1       Hillside Avenue and Millberg Road are subject to a 30mph speed limit, as indicated by the system of streetlighting. A plan of the road showing the position of Chyngton Primary School and the proposed location of the zebra crossing is shown in Appendix 1.

2.2          The County Council has a limited amount of funding available, and therefore, needs to prioritise the local transport schemes which will be of greatest benefit to local communities.  The East Sussex Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) was adopted in October 2024. This sets out the transport strategy for the county and focuses on enabling and encouraging people to walk, wheel, cycle and use public transport. This is alongside developing measures to promote vehicles which use cleaner fuels and working towards achieving net-zero targets. With the adoption of the strategy, the process used to assess and help prioritise requests for local transport schemes has been updated to reflect LTP4.

2.3          The request for a zebra crossing on Hillside Avenue has been assessed through the approved prioritisation process but has not met the necessary benchmark score to be considered for inclusion in the East Sussex County Council (ESCC) annual Capital Programme for Local Transport Improvements for 2027/28. The request will however remain on the list of schemes for potential progression should other funding sources become available in the future.

2.4       During 2024/25, East Sussex County Council used Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders to deliver School Streets schemes at 3 pilot schools in the county: Southover CE Primary in Lewes, All Saints CE Primary in Sidley, Bexhill, and Langney Primary Academy in Eastbourne.  These schemes and the Traffic Regulation Orders were made permanent in the summer of 2025.

2.5       Following the successful delivery of these pilot School Streets schemes, a draft assessment framework has been developed to identify a further programme of School Streets schemes across the county, subject to funding. This assessment framework is currently being tested and reviewed by officers. The assessment will be based on strategic and local factors including:

·         Local Policy fit – alignment to the East Sussex Local Transport Plan 4 and the emerging update to the East Sussex Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan

·         School specific factors – school and local community support, school roll numbers.

·         Geographic considerations – such as the type of road, traffic flows, crash record, proximity to bus routes, existing parking restrictions, any traffic displacement, number of properties, businesses and services nearby, existing, or proposed infrastructure schemes or measures.

2.6       Once the framework to assess schools is in place, an assessment of all schools will be undertaken. If a school is suitable to become a School Street school, a road safety audit will take place as part of the design process for a School Street scheme. The assessments will be taking place in Spring 2026.  A list of sites that can be progressed will be presented to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment at a later decision-making meeting.

2.7       Progression of future School Streets schemes will be subject to the availability of funding.

 

3          Conclusion and Reasons for Recommendations

3.1       The County Council has considered a petition calling on the Council for the installation of a zebra crossing on Hillside Avenue and the request has been assessed through the approved prioritisation process. It is recommended that the petitioners are advised that a scheme to introduce a new zebra crossing on Hillside Avenue has not met the necessary benchmark score to be considered for detailed appraisal and possible inclusion for funding within the Capital Programme.

3.2       The School Streets schemes assessment framework is still being tested and reviewed ahead of finalisation. It is therefore recommended that petitioners be advised that Chyngton Primary School will be assessed against the new School Streets Scheme assessment framework when it has been finalised. The result of the assessment will be shared with the Lead Petitioner.

 

RUPERT CLUBB

Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

Contact Officer: Warwick Hadley
Tel. No. 0345 6080193
Email: Warwick.Hadley@eastsussex.gov.uk

 

LOCAL MEMBERS

Councillor Sam Adeniji

 

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS

None