A concerned neighbour writes…
I live in Western Barn Close on the Winchelsea Road next to the proposed super-sized Aldi supermarket, plus new “affordable” homes and retirement living apartments. Key questions raised by Rye residents during the public consultation held by developers earlier this year have been addressed, they say, in their planning application submitted to Rother District Council this week.
I wonder if other readers feel as I do that although Ryers want another supermarket with competitive pricing to Jemspon’s, do we really need such a big one? The knock on impact of the scale of this development is complex and there are lots of unanswered questions for the planners and for all of us who live in Rye.
Traffic implications on the already busy A259 are ominous. Heavy delivery lorries will be on the road at all hours in the middle of the night plus there will be inevitable congestion with cars in the daytime causing delayed access into Rye putting junction safety at risk.
Living here with 25 houses in Western Barn Close we manage periodic flooding and sometimes there is a backup of sewage in the road in front of our houses. I am wondering how the developers can realistically cope with the increasing scale of flood risk mitigation and sewage management if the scale of their plan is to go ahead as is?
New houses are being offered as “affordable and attractive to younger first time buyers”. But at what cost? Will the price of the new houses meet the crying need for social housing in Rye? The new supermarket promises new jobs but where will the employees live? Will the developers offer genuinely affordable living arrangements for their employees? A recent survey on housing needs in Rye (circulated to every house in and around Rye) shows what the actual housing needs are for families who work in Rye, but cannot afford to live here.
After so many, many years of unfulfilled promises about genuinely affordable social housing being built in Rye, how can it possibly be right at this time to deliberately build more unaffordable houses?
With the change of government promising new planning laws, I expect the planners will need time to change their practices. I look forward to unravelling the complexities of this proposed development with readers offering informed opinions on what is best for Rye at this time and for the future.
Image Credits: Harris Partnership .
Susan there was plenty of controversy when western barn was built, Rye town council objected to all the reasons that you are stating, and the developers were one step ahead putting the garage on the bottom floor, and where were the affordable social houses on that site, that you yearn for now.
Is there a hint of Not In My Back Yard here perhaps? This type of attitude has typified Rye as far back as I can remember (50 years plus) as it is why things either never happen or are glacial at best. Yes Rye must be protected but at what cost – i.e. holding back ALL development and progression or making it so difficult that many just give up? I agree a real balancing act is needed…..
Re ‘heavy lorries’, one can’t imagine there will be more than when Jempson’s Commercials operated on the site or that HGV traffic will be any more disruptive than the lorries passing all hours along the A259 currently; you could level the same argument at Jempson’s supermarket by the station – there certainly isn’t a constant stream of deliveries there. Also like Jempsons, I can’t imagine Aldi’s deliveries will be 24/7 but I’m happy to be corrected otherwise.
It will serve the wider community and is will be the size it need to be to make it viable.
As for congestion it’s no different to the harbour road junction surely? I don’t get held up there for ages as you infer and again ‘safety’ is not affected there either? As as aside, you don’t get any congestion with the Aldi store on the A259 on Bexhill Road or the Lidl in Ore for example and they are very busy as well. There is no noticeable impact on traffic at either site. A mini roundabout here would be the best solution if space allows as discussed in planning?
I do however strongly agree on the need for affordable housing that is genuinely affordable for the locals & more importantly young people of the town and not just a token gesture. I do however question the need for even more private retirement properties as the majority wont be taken by Rye’s local older population? There are already the properties on the Strand, Davenport House and St Bartholomews(?) up by the Memorial hospital to name but a few.