LETTER: Tarmac plans are sacrilege

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There was an exhibition last weekend at Ratton School featuring East Sussex County Council’s proposed cycleway from Hailsham through to Eastbourne, known as Phase 1.

It appears the proposals include putting Tarmac over the grass verges in the Ratton area and putting in railings.

The Tarmac is to create a ‘shared space’ for pedestrians and cyclists and the railings presumably to stop one or the other falling off into the road.

Kings Drive has a cycle path already, which is in the road, and it has maintained its grass verges.

If an additional cycle route is required on Willingdon Road the question must be raised as to why this could not be replicated on the road?

As Willingdon Road is one of the major routes into Eastbourne for visitors it seems sacrilege to destroy what is an area at the foot of the downs of high visual value impact, grass verges and trees, daffodils in the spring, flint walls dating back to the old Ratton Estate of Lord Willingdon etc, all potentially, if the proposals are followed, to be destroyed and replaced with a replica of an inner city roadway with Tarmac and railings.

The council has taken great strides with decisions to de-clutter the town centre of railings.

I would like to query whether they believe introducing Tarmac and railings to an attractive feeder road to the town like Willingdon Road (A2270) is what they want to support?