East Sussex County Council Traffic Calming proposals here ( 5 page pdf )
Coach Park re-siting etc. here 44 page pdf
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The revised map, it doesn't show the 'long route' - see Q6 |
Questions to Hastings Borough Council about the Coaches |
Answers from Hastings Borough Council |
1. Referring to the A5 HBC leaflet being distributed from the Stade office, HBC are stating categorically in paragraph one that the Jerwood
Gallery and associated works 'will be built here'. As the planning
applications have yet to be lodged, yet alone considered by the planning committee, this must surely be evidence of predetermination of the planning
decisions. Is this not illegal and likely to trigger an application for judicial review of the planning process?
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1) I agree that the original leaflet we were distributing was
misleading, but it was of course prepared and printed before we made the
decision to resubmit the planning applications. An updated leaflet is
therefore now being distributed, I attach a copy for your information.
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2. Paragraph two refers to 'necessary permissions'. Will you please
elaborate on what permissions need to be sought and what the procedure and time scale will be.
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2) We could close the coach park now with the permissions we already
have, and relocate it to Falaise Road and Sea Road. We are applying for
permission to increase the capacity of Falaise Road for coach parking, and
that requires a change in the traffic regulations. These will be advertised
shortly, and heard by Traffic Management Committee later this year. We are
also looking to make Falaise Road one way, that requires a similar process
to be gone through.
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3. Can you please tell us how many parking spaces will be lost in
Falaise Road if the permissions are granted.
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3) 67 car parking spaces in Falaise Road will be given over to coach
parking.
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4. Can you please tell us if further parking space losses are
anticipated in White Rock Road, particularly in the narrow upper section
that leads onto Cambridge Road.
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4) There will be no further loss of parking spaces in White Rock Road.
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5. Can you please tell us how many car parking spaces will be lost to
the provision of the coach set down/pick up points indicated at East Parade.
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5) 32 car parking spaces in East Parade will be given over to coach set
down/pick up bays.
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6. Will you please tell us what route coaches and or buses will be
expected to take to get to Falaise Road if they have arrived from the west
and dropped off their passengers on the north side of East Parade.
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6) along the Bourne and up Old London Road to Ore Village, then around
the Ridge, down Sedlescombe Road North, through Silverhill, and along
Bohemia to Falaise Road.
SOS has 'tested' the suggested route for coaches to get from the Old Town to Falaise Road. (What happens if they get to Falaise and there's no room?).
one of our members has driven the route - along the Ridge, down Sedlescombe Road N, Silverhill etc. and reckons it will add at least 1 hour to a driver's tacho. This doesn't include dropping off time in the Old Town when the tacho is still running. So how many drivers are going to risk it?
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7. Will this be the same route proposed when having picked up
passengers after their stay in Falaise Road, they need to return westward.
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7) The same route is one of the options, they could also continue round
the Ridge and down Queensway and use Harley Shute Road to access the A259.
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8. Will you tell us why reference to alternative coach parking
facilities in Sea Road are no longer mentioned |
8) As you know, we are only proposing a slight increase in coach
parking in Sea Road now; it is believed that all of the displaced coaches
can be accommodated most of the time in Falaise road, and, rather than give
out a confusing message, and send too many coaches to Sea Road, I thought it
most straightforward to advise coaches to go to Falaise Road. |
And of course there's no mention of where lorries will park.
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A Coach Operator's opinion
Hello
I am a coach driver/tour organiser and I visited Hastings last weekend (2nd August 2009) bringing with me some 52 passengers who had a lovely day out and probably
spent lots of their hard earned in your town. I saw some posters around the Old Town and on the fishing huts advertising this website so I thought I
would check it out. What I found incensed me. What on earth is Hastings BC thinking about? I hazard a guess they are not on the same planet as the
rest of us.
I come from Woking and our council are equally as clueless when it comes to 'cultural' developments and usually ride rough-shod over the opinions of
the majority, so you have my absolute sympathy with the causes of your fight and I wish you the best of luck for victory.
As someone who works in public transport, what I have a lot of trouble understanding is why the entire country's local governments are all making a lot
of noise over carbon footprints and environmental concerns and then in the next breath are making it very difficult for transport operators by removing
or cutting down on the very amenities which would help with the environmental policies in the first place. As a coach driver, what I am increasingly
choked off with is having to drop of passengers and then going to park and spend my day in some godforsaken industrial estate or backwater with no
facilities. Up until now, Hastings was one of my favourite places to visit as we were right in the centre of things and able to enjoy the town as much as
our customers. Like others places it will find the number of operators visiting drop if the facitlies are removed, and I have personally seen this happend
in lots of places. So to that end, I really hope you are successful in your crusade even if it's for purely selfish reasons. My other reason is that our town
has suffered losing a well used day centre to, yes you've guessed it, an art gallery, so as a kindred spirit I really do hope you find all the support you
need to enable you to stick it to HBC.
All my best wishes,
Rachael Spooner |
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