Council Leader, Peter Jones, said "We are bitterly disappointed by today's announcement by the Department for Transport because the link road is absolutely crucial to the regeneration of Hastings and Bexhill, particularly at a time when economic growth is also such a priority nationally.
"This is a once in a generation opportunity to make a step change to the most deprived local economy in the South East. There is overwhelming support for the road. It has planning permission and we resolved objections from the statutory environmental bodies, mitigating their environmental concerns. There were no environmental objections from any statutory body that were not overcome.
"Unlike other schemes, the link road is well advanced. It has planning permission, has been through a public inquiry process and there is a contractor ready to start work. Local businesses, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the local MPs all support the scheme.
"While disappointed we will continue to work with the Department for Transport to secure this vital regeneration work for Bexhill and Hastings.
"There is a new development company poised to take forward the new business park, all we need is a positive decision and we are ready to change the outlook for the wider Hastings and Bexhill communities."
The DfT says it will work with East Sussex County Council and its partners over the next three months to gather further evidence and will then make a decision on funding.
Further information
We believe the link road will facilitate construction of 1,200-2,000 new homes and business park space of 50,000 square metres, which will create at least 3,000 new jobs.
We have already invested £15 million in the scheme and committed an additional £22.5 million to support its building. We are asking Government to provide funding of £56 million required to match our commitment if we are to secure the future growth in the area.
The DfT's written statement can be downloaded from the Parliament website (Adobe PDF).
Reference:
PR 3446
Contact the press team
East Sussex County Council