The planned closure of the High Street next week for road resurfacing has been deferred The work was scheduled between Monday, February 17 and Friday, February 21, as reported last month in Rye News. However, East Sussex Highways has notified local residents and business owners that the works have been postponed because of further structural failings found at the George hotel.
Apologising for any inconvenience, the Highway Authority states that “we will carry out the works once the building is completely safe and the scaffolding has been removed.”
A notice attached to the scaffolding in Lion Street states that the licence from Rother District Council to erect scaffolding is valid until February 23, but it seems possible that application may be made to extend this period.
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .
Thank you Rye News. As someone who lives outside Rye but visits often it’s useful to know when roadworks are planned as this makes parking even more difficult. Now I know that next week’s High Street closure has been deferred I can shop locally instead of farther afield.
I think it would be wise for residents and visitors to assume that the scaffolding , which will have cost many thousands of pounds to hire and erect will be there for much of the duration of the George rebuild/refurbishment, which is scheduled to last for this year and most of the next assuming there is no time overrun. A further assumption would be that any resurfacing work will be kicked forward to a future Counsil budget , not the current budget.
To return to the proposed expensive parking scheme for Rye , would a more intelligently flexible authority not be looking at the concern expressed about air quality due to the internal combustion engine and think more in terms of making the high street a vehicle free area during opening hours at the same time they might want to factor in the move to electric vehicles , although hydrogen may be a more practical solution to sustain distance driving . Anyway if the High Street was to become a pedestrian only area there would be a need for some sixty additional parking spaces . The piece of land below Hilders Cliff lying between the bowling green and the old Rother Ironworks, that has been in debate, could fulfil much of the need with electrical recharging points supplied rather than parking meters in the High Street. Once the sea wall improvements to the eastern Rother bank has been carried out a car park in the field South of Freda Garden would be an option. The walk across Monkbretton Bridge with the fishing boats and other craft in the foreground and the silhouette of Rye as an attraction to the visitor seems highly appropriate for a Cinqe Port , medieval and fortified town.
It is obviously disappointing that Rother has decided to postpone the road works in the High Street. Could they perhaps be persuaded to repair the road up to Lion Street and leave a gap to be completed later -resurfacing recommencing again just beyond The George construction works.
Would this not also be the perfect opportunity to pedestrianise from East Street to West Street – at least for the duration of the works. Obviously, loading and unloading would continue as would access for residents only.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Rother! All roads lead to Cllr Keith Glazier’s East Sussex County Council (except trunk roads like the A259 and unadopted roads like Eagle Road)!
I am delighted to see a suggestion that the scaffolding works at The George give the town a chance to further consider turning the High Street into a pedestrian only stretch for part of the day to see what the consequences are. Hythe has become a pleasant place to visit, shop and eat, now that a section of the High Street is pedestrianised during limited hours. I am sure they have have been through all the arguments about resident parking, deliveries etc., and could help us come up with a scheme to trial whilst our High Street is compromised by the scaffolding.
What those who advocate the pedestrianisation of the High Street always forget is that virtually no businesses have rear access for deliveries. It is impossible to schedule early morning or late evening deliveries when national carriers are used by suppliers. They may be travelling up 250 miles to make many drop-offs in the area and will schedule things to meet their purposes and convenience not relatively small shop customers in Rye. The next argument is usually “well change suppliers then!” Even if this was possible (or desirable) the alternative supplier would only use the same delivery system so nothing would be gained. Closing the high street to traffic will kill the town for residents in particular. Choice would evaporate.
Slightly baffled to why the scaffolding at the George has caused Rother to take the decision to defer the relaying of the high street, especially in consideration that a large proportion of the high street (outside the George) is cobbled in any case? The turning into market road and down market road the road surface is hardly non existent due to pot holes. Hardly a great advert for the town? Shabby.
The road has nothing to do with Rother – never has! It is East Sussex who do roads!