Bohemia Village Voice

Andrew Cartwright

Readers of the Voice, traders and residents of Bohemia will be only too aware of our acute parking problems. Local councillor Andrew Cartwright has been trying to bring about some useful changes in various streets. But it certainly ain’t quick or straightforward … as Andrew explains below:
“Some time ago the Voice asked me to look into the possibility of improving parking in Bohemia through a number of specific ideas suggested by the Voice’s readers. As they already know, I was not satisfied with the Council’s response. In January, Cllr Trevor Webb (the county councillor for Gensing Ward) and I met with Richard Homewood (Director of Environment at Hastings Borough Council) to discuss this.
Mr Homewood agreed to look into a number of concerns raised by residents and traders and I am awaiting a detailed response. These include a number of specific issues affecting Bohemia Road (traffic flow, pedestrian crossings, pavements), London Road, Tower Road (both parking), Dane Road, Woodland Vale Road (both speeding), North Road (traffic flow), Church Road (traffic flow, parking and pedestrian safety), Harting Combe (drainage), Tower Road West / London Road / Tower Road junction and Clyde Road / Charles Road / Dane Road junction. There were also a number of issues which I had taken up on behalf of individual residents. There is no doubt that improving our roads and pavements will be a long haul, but – with the support of local residents and traders – I am willing to continue the work for as long as necessary. I will be in touch again when I have something more to report.
It is very important to see the present situation in context. As Voice readers may already know,. East Sussex County Council is the Highways Authority and is ultimately responsible for all public roads and pavements in Hastings and St Leonards. Hastings Borough Council acts as the County Council’s agent and is responsible for implementing the County Council’s policies and procedures within a budget set by the County Council. The Highways Department at H.B.C. has an unenviable task, acting as it does as an agent of an underperfoming Highways Authority. Even so, there is clear room for improvement in standards at H.B.C. and I was pleased that Mr Homewood has plans for improving working practices within the Highways Department. This should result in a department which is more responsive to the concerns of both residents and traders. There is also a clear need for modernisation of some of the County Council’s procedures, and, needless to say, the County Council must take responsibility for providing adequate funding. Understandably, both Councils are concerned about road safety, but, in this day and age, procedures must also address issues such as the strength of the local economy and residents’ quality of life.”