Bus subsidy could pose a stumbling block

An argument over a £49,950 bus subsidy appears to be holding up the planning decision on an Aldi supermarket in Rye.East Sussex County Council is insisting on the subsidy, but Aldi is opposing it.In a response lodged on RDC’s website on September 2, Aldi’s consultants Connect firmly rejected the “financial contribution methodology” suggested by ESCC for subsidising the 313 bus service between the Aldi site and Rye Harbour.The consultants also said that none of the three historical planning applications given as examples by ESCC were relevant to supporting the council’s argument over the proposed subsidy.Connect claimed that only about 23 households in Rye Harbour lacked a vehicle. It said that as the village has a convenience store, trips to a large supermarket would likely be made weekly and some residents would use online grocery delivery, so the demand for a bus would be minimal.Given this, the council’s call for “the suggested £49,950 contribution towards sustaining the existing bus services appears to be unreasonable,” it said.It would seem that the issue needs to be settled before any decision on planning permission is reached.