New bus lane proposals approved for town

Two new bus lanes have been approved in Eastbourne

Plans for new bus lanes in an East Sussex town have been approved.

The planning committee at East Sussex County Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to introduce the lanes on two stretches of the A259 in Eastbourne.

The council said the proposals for Seaside and St Anthony's Avenue were an effort to improve bus journey times.

But businesses expressed concern at the loss of parking and extra congestion they say the lanes will create.

The measures proposed included the creation of an eastbound bus lane between the Windermere Crescent junction and Seaside Roundabout, and a westbound bus lane between Langney Roundabout and Seaside Roundabout.

They also set out proposals to upgrade existing pedestrian crossings and upgrade existing ones, according to Local Democracy Reporting Service.

One of the new lanes is near Eastbourne railway station

Creating the bus lanes will involve the loss of on-street parking spaces in several areas, with a new area of limited wait parking introduced on the south side of Seaside, between its junctions with Rye Street and Winchelsea Road.

The Seaside/St Anthony's Avenue plans saw 544 objections raised, but in a report, officers concluded the concerns did not provide "sufficient grounds for the proposals to be withdrawn".

The railway station proposal generated 29 public representations during consultation, 14 in support and 15 objections.

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