Campaigners asked how the budget for the Hastings Gateway Road could suddenly have dropped by 60% but got no answer.

SeaChange Sussex has announced (October 28) that funding for the disastrous Queensway Gateway road was cut some years ago without their knowledge. They say, "We’ve recently discovered that [the South East Local Enterprise Partnership] and East Sussex County Council elected members were told in 2015 the project could be delivered for £6 million instead of the £15 million budget we’d originally been aware of." To which one can only say, Really?

SEE ALSO: This is why completion of the St Leonards Queensway Gateway Road has been delayed again

Here's a direct quote from the minutes of the SELEP Accountability Board meeting in November 2015, in which the budget for the road was indeed reduced from £15m to £6m: 'SeaChange now think the project will be delivered for £6m...SeaChange looking to re-allocate the £9m 'saving' to North Bexhill Access Rd'.

So far from having no knowledge of this reduction in funds, SeaChange actually asked for the amount to be reduced. This was in order that the 'surplus' £9m could be transferred to the seriously under-funded North Bexhill Access Road. Local environmental group Combe Haven Defenders raised the issue at the time, asking how the budget for the Queensway Gateway road could suddenly have dropped by 60%. We didn't get any answers, but it turned out that we were right when we questioned whether the road could be built for £6m. Seven years later, the budget is back up to its original £15m, but SeaChange has spent all the money it was given. Now the company is claiming that it has only just discovered that the budget was cut in 2015 - when it was SeaChange itself which requested the cut. This is jaw-dropping audacity from SeaChange and we should not allow them to use this as an excuse to cover up the total mess they have made of this project.

Have you read....: The Gateway Road delay is due to dire mismanagement by SeaSpace in Hastings

I believe this road should never have been started. It has been a disaster from start to finish, and has destroyed one of our precious wildlife sites, which is unforgiveable at a time of serious climate and biodiversity crises. The history of the road since planning permission was first granted nearly eight years ago has been nothing short of a farce. Rather than expect SeaChange to finish, why don't we just give up at this point and return it to nature?

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