Jo Brand joins opposition to Bexhill Hastings Link Road

BAFTA winning comedian Jo Brand, due to appear at a benefit gig this weekend in support of Hastings pier, has clearly stated her objections to the Bexhill Hastings Link Road and her support for all those who oppose its development, writes HOT’s Zelly Restorick.

‘Having grown up in the area, I am familiar with the Combe Haven valley’, says Ms Brand ‘and am horrified that East Sussex County Council plans to destroy this beautiful part of our countryside with the Bexhill Hastings Link Road. At a time when we are facing catastrophic climate change, it is utterly irresponsible to be building new roads, which will simply create more traffic. I strongly support those people who are taking peaceful action to try to stop this madness.’

Local people in opposition to the planned Bexhill Hastings Link Road are simply not complying with leader of East Sussex County Council, Peter Jones’ suggestion that they ‘shove off!’.

Here’s a respectful question coming direct from my enraged and despairing heart to our country’s and county’s decision makers. Who is representing these people’s [and my own] views?  Who is representing the growing number of people who are – for various reasons – disagreeing with the use of £100m+ to build a road at this time?

Officially, every single member of both local councils, all the members of ESCC and both our local MPs are all in favour of the road.

Peaceful opposition to the £100m Link Road project began in mid December last year and determinedly continues. Campaigners recently delivered an ultimatum to the Department of Transport to release their withheld official recommendations regarding the link road by 5 April, otherwise they will return to the Department and peacefully search for the documents themselves.

To date, the £56m government funding has not as yet received final approval.  In a reply to Brighton MP, Caroline Lucas’s written question on 21 March regarding the road, Norman Baker, Transport Minister, states:  ‘The Department is still assessing the economic case of the “full approval” application for the scheme submitted by East Sussex County Council in December 2012. Any expenditure carried out to date by the Essex County Council has been at its own risk.’.

Locally, peaceful protest continued at the weekend, with opponents to the road working in freezing conditions to plant oak, wild cherry and holly trees along the proposed route where huge numbers of trees have been felled.

Charlotte Potter-Powell, a spokesperson for the Combe Haven Defenders said: ‘We have planted these precious trees as an act of faith that this Road – which has still not received the funding it needs from central government – can still be stopped.’.

People gathered for a walk along the proposed route of the road, and from Sidley to Crowhurst surveyed the damage done to the environment and the wall of wood chippings, which is all that remains of the trees which stood in the path of this so-called plan for economic development and growth. The result of ESCC’s deranged race against time to beat the environmental deadlines and regulations to protect the local wildlife.

And the pertinently named group, GAIA, [Grannies Are In Action], continued their peaceful action by sending the Transport Minister, Norman Baker, a large homemade cake showing how the BHLR won’t be resolving the traffic congestion on the Bexhill Road.

At his surgery in Battle, concerns about traffic increase on The Ridge were explained to local Bexhill and Battle MP and Minister for Climate Change, Gregory Barker, who said that he was aware of this issue and ‘it would need to be looked into by the Council’.

A message to anyone who feels that to spend £100m+ on building a road at this time is not a wise decision : “DON’T GIVE UP HOPE!”.

For more information, go to Combe Haven Defenders site here and to Hastings Alliance site here.

 

 

 

.

Also in: Campaigns

« Link Road: cue the violins!
Artists and Combe Valley exhibition »