Way cleared to buy up link road land

Cllr Peter Jones, Leader of East Sussex County Council, welcomed the move, although objectors are still seeking a judicial review of the scheme, After an initial bid for a review was rejected, a second is due to be heard on October 5.

Cllr Jones said a public inquiry into the new road, to which Whitehall has pledged £56m, had found in its favour, and added: “We’re very pleased that it recognised the vital role the road will play in regenerating the area for people and businesses.

“We are now eagerly awaiting the resolution of the legal appeal by the Hastings Alliance so we can get on and really make a positive difference for the area.”

The Alliance argues that the link road project is diverting cash from other transport investments in the area, such as bus real time information displays and pedestrian and cycle routes

The five-mile stretch of road, to be built by 2016, will link the A269 at London Road in Bexhill with the B2092 Queensway in St Leonards, and run through the Combe Haven Valley area, which includes Crowhurst.

This coming weekend, September 29 and 30, a group called the Combe Haven Defenders is due to hold a peaceful two-day rally highlighting fears that the link road’s impact on the valley “will destroy one of the area’s greatest treasures”.