Do not leave your camera or mobile phone at home over the next two weeks while you are in Rye, as Councillor Bernardine Fiddimore is compiling a Mayor’s dossier on a persistent – and often annoying – problem.
Two forthcoming public meetings coming up could provide a platform to discuss findings. The first is the Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday March 2 from 6:30pm in the Rye Community Centre (RCC) on Conduit Hill. The second, the following night Thursday March 3 – in the same place, the RCC, slightly earlier from 5:45pm – is to discuss your concerns about street parking enforcement and changes to policing.
The latest cuts in policing with redundancies, and possibly even fewer police locally (depending on how they reorganise themselves), may affect Rye and in particular Camber’s beach police station, which is kept very busy during the peak summer holiday weeks with thousands of holidaymakers.
And the town councillors expect parking and traffic problems to be an issue at both meetings – though Rye’s Neighbourhood Plan (RNP) covering most concerns about the town’s future may take up much of the Town Meeting’s time.
The public meeting about parking and crime is expected to be attended by Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Di Roskilly and Chief Inspector Paul Phelps – and the Mayor’s dossier may be quoted.
Lion Street hazards
Monday’s Planning meeting considered in particular parking and traffic issues in Lion Street where vehicles delivering to the side of the George Hotel – instead of using the new loading bay to the front of the hotel – create hazards (as shown in the photo above) for both pedestrians, other traffic and local residents.
The Town Clerk Richard Farhall reported that a recent site meeting with the highways department of East Sussex County Council (ESCC) had not been helpful as it had no money. However advice could be sought from an independent expert on what might be possible, such as bollards, and what they might cost – for the town council to then consider.
Cllr John Breeds said Rye was waiting for a disaster to happen as people would not take notice of any of these problems until a disaster happens – with an ambulance or a fire engine unable to get through. The Neighbourhood Plan will however look at various long term options.
The Mayor said it was important to keep on collecting evidence about the parking and traffic problems in order to build up a dossier and, at the other end of town, the Hope Anchor hotel has been reported as saying it will make official complaints to the police every day about illegal parking.
The hotel complains that, like others, it has been passed from pillar to post by the authorities, and they may well have questions for the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Rother District Council (RDC) is looking at civil parking enforcement, but will have to work with the highways authority (ESCC) who have said “the county council is aware of mixed feelings about parking enforcement locally”.
However traffic problems and inconsiderate parking also cause strong feelings and the need for a by-pass (a range of options was considered in the ’80s and ’90s) was raised at last year’s Town Meeting.
New levy starts
Another point of controversy is the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) on new developments from April 4 – which Rye resident Chris Coverdale says is fraudulent, though neither the police nor the government planners who have to approve local arrangements are willing to act on his allegations.
However CIL projects will need to be included in the town’s Neighbourhood Plan (as Rye could get up to 25% of the CIL collected if it has a plan) and these may have to include schools as the introduction of independent academies controlled from Whitehall has left large, unanswered questions about who exactly plans for the educational needs of a growing population.
Housing will also be on the agenda for the Town Meeting with questions about how growing numbers of “buy to let” will meet local needs, and how the needs of both elderly people and young families can be catered for.
In the meantime Colonel Anthony Kimber, vice chair of the steering group for the RNP, reported that the RDC has apparently delayed consideration of the plans for new housing, and a new community centre, at Tilling Green because of objections raised.
Photo: Nick Taylor
Image Credits: Nick Taylor .