A large electronic sign appeared by Ferry Road level crossing in Rye this week announcing five weeks of daytime road closures in Rye affecting Military Road, Fishmarket Road and Rye Hill between March 2 (in 10 days time) and April 3.
Those closures will affect hundreds of appointments at the hospital and large doctors' surgery on Rye Hill as well as:
- bus services to Peasmarsh, Beckley and Northiam (the 313)
- and to Iden, Wittersham, Smallhythe and Tenterden (the 312),
- Rye's 326 community service serving Tilling Green, Udimore, Broad Oak, Playden and Houghton Green as well as all parts of Rye,
- and special bus services taking pupils to and from school.
A public notice was also published detailing the road closures a few days earlier on February 14 which says that further information can be obtained from Network Management on 0345 60 80 193.
The notice was published by Philip Baker, Assistant Chief Executive, Governance Services Department, East Sussex County Council (ESCC), County Hall, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1UE.
Rye Town Council (RTC) will be discussing these roadworks at its planning committee meeting next Monday, February 24 at 6:30pm in the town hall which is open to the public. RTC had sought an urgent meeting with the works contractors, as used to happen in the past before major disruptions, but this has not been forthcoming.
Five years ago when ESCC was resurfacing Rye Hill there was a similar lack of consultation with all appropriate parties with a similar last minute notice of what was proposed.
After loud protests the work had to be rethought and eventually took longer than planned in order to avoid and reduce the likely disruption. Monday's meeting and possibly the annual town meeting on March 4 will probably hear similar protests and anger at what seems to be a repeat of what happened five years ago.
Next week's Rye News will report on Monday's meeting and remind readers of what happened in 2015 when ESCC last tried to close Rye Hill at short notice following inadequate consultation.
