Residents in Bognor and Hailsham have been promised safer streets where neighbours can chat and children can play.

The Government's new Home Zone scheme will be set up to give priority to pedestrians over motorists at Town Farm Estate, in Hailsham, and the north-west area of Bognor.

In both areas traffic will be kept to very low speeds through a redesign of streets to create wider pavements and possibly remove kerbs.

Planting of trees and shrubs and designated parking spaces are aimed at creating an environment where neighbours can meet and children can play safely.

The scheme is to make it obvious to motorists that they should give priority to residents and pedestrians within the Home Zone boundaries.

The Department of Transport, which gave the go-ahead to the two schemes, said they would create "safe, clean and attractive residential areas, with innovative use of space".

The successful bidders to the £30 million Home Zones Challenge were announced today by transport minister Sally Keeble.

Ms Keeble said: "We hope these ideas will become a routine part of urban design so that streets become public spaces of value to people, not just thoroughfares for traffic."