Public inquiry to begin into A259 bridge plans

A public inquiry into the construction of a new bridge at Exceat begins on Tuesday

A public inquiry is set to begin on Tuesday into plans for a replacement road bridge in East Sussex.

East Sussex County Council is moving forward with plans for a new two-way bridge to replace the current single lane Exceat Bridge on the A259 between Seaford and Eastbourne.

The inquiry at County Hall in Lewes will examine plans to purchase land required for construction of the new highway.

Documents from the authority show it wishes to use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CROs) to acquire the land needed for the project from the current owners.

Part of the land needed for the project is already owned by the council, but compulsory purchase of extra land would "enable an early implementation" of the bridge scheme, said the authority.

The inquiry, which is expected to last four days, will also hear from objectors to the proposed bridge.

In April, the council agreed to "redirect" more than £11m from its Bus Service Improvement Plan to the project.

The council had previously considered plans for a like-for-like single lane bridge but cabinet member Nick Bennett said the authority was opting for "something far more substantial that supports the infrastructure for a long time".

Opposition councillors had urged the council to instead focus on other road improvement measures such as tackling traffic in Newhaven.