Reclaiming Town Centre for pedestrians

Hastings Borough Council is concerned about safety in the town centre because some drivers are ignoring the signs saying that no vehicles should drive through the area between Queen's Road and Wellington Place.

Since lockdown many more fast-food outlets have been offering a delivery service and this area of our town sees delivery drivers driving to and congregating in front of the businesses they're collecting from. The council believes that the businesses concerned should review their collection arrangements and consider whether this is a service they can continue to offer from a pedestrianised town centre location.

It is the responsibility of East Sussex County Council to enforce the traffic regulation order which designates this area as pedestrian only with some exceptions.

Cllr Judy Rogers, lead councillor for community safety, said,

"We have been asking East Sussex County Council to enforce the regulations for a long time. They need to repair and monitor the bollards near the junction with Queen's Road to ensure that only essential deliveries are made during the daytime when people are out and about. Many drivers are also ignoring the no entry sign at the top of Wellington Place and this is something the police have the power to stop."

Council leader Cllr Kim Forward added,

"There have been many discussions with East Sussex County Council, Sussex Police, the Hastings Area Business Crime Reduction Partnership, and local businesses to address this issue. But sadly as the summer draws to a close too many of our residents and visitors have found that this area of the town is not welcoming to those on foot. This situation cannot be tolerated any longer and I would like the leader of East Sussex County Council and the district commander of police for Hastings to come in person to see the problem and then sort it out!"