Controversial plans to build housing for hundreds of students in Eastbourne have moved a step closer.

A travel plan has been drawn up by bosses of the University of Brighton's Eastbourne campus in Carlisle Road to meet the needs of the 354 students who could soon be living on site.

Members of Eastbourne Borough Council's planning and licensing committee will meet to discuss setting up a monitoring group to ensure the travel plan is followed.

The committee approved plans to build five blocks of three and four storeys at a meeting in May last year, amid widespread protest from residents living nearby.

Opposition stemmed from fears that hundreds of students would bring cars with them, snarling up the roads and making parking a nightmare for residents.

The travel plan contains a number of proposals to counteract these concerns, including stipulating students stick to a 'no car policy'.

Other improvements include moving and increasing the number of bus stops, re-routing the number eight bus service to better serve the campus and provision of 112 covered cycle parking spaces with six pool bikes for all students to have access to.

Staff would also take part in a car share scheme.

Lisa Rawlinson, senior planning officer, recommended the monitoring group be made up of selected personnel.

These would include representatives from the University of Brighton, Meads Community Association, the chairman of the planning and licensing committee, a Meads councillor, a county councillor, a highways officer as well as borough council highways and planning officers.

Roger Stiggers, secretary of the community association, said: "There really is nothing much we can do. We are just hoping that everything will be strictly followed."

He said the group would be closely following other issues, including what happened to the empty university halls during the holidays.

The meeting takes place at the town hall on Tuesday at 4.15pm.

More than 2,000 university students attend the various buildings dotted around the Meads area of Eastbourne.

The university was awarded a grant of £2.75m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in March 2000.

This money, combined with £3.45m from university coffers, will fund the building of the student accommodation and other planned improvements around campus.

Thursday July 10, 2003