The Castleham, Churchfields and Conqueror industrial estates wholeheartedly support the building of the proposed east-west Hastings bypass.

If the road-rail infrastructure is made more efficient and easy to access, there could be significant investment in the area as a result of companies expanding their operations. This will, in turn, provide a much-needed boost to the local economy.

The present road infrastructure comprises the A21 and A259. Both roads are heavily over-used and by far exceed the traffic volumes forecast for them when they were originally constructed.

While the east-west bypass, as proposed by Hastings Borough Council, may not ease the congestion in the town, there is no doubt it will benefit the outlying businesses on the industrial estates. It will provide a vital link between Hastings and Brighton and Hove to the west and Rye and links to Dover in the east.

If the road and rail infrastructure is not improved, businesses will be forced to move away from the area to more accessible locations.

The current road system frequently becomes gridlocked, affecting delivery times and, more importantly, the free movement of the emergency services.

Further to this, the numerous studies conducted to ascertain the need for the bypass have highlighted how Hastings is such a deprived area with very high unemployment and very little inward investment.

One of the main reasons why there is no influx of new business into the area is the lack of a good transport system.

It is important to state that the value of the building of the bypass must be weighed against the detrimental effects, in particular that the proposed route passes through some Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The proposed route does not ingress on to a significant portion of these areas and the road design could be mitigated to ensure as little intrusion and disturbance as possible.

-Melanie Rollinson, The 3Cs Committee