Some while ago some of us on the High Street were sent a consultation questionnaire by the District Council, about moving the bus stop nearer to the post office and swapping parking bays around, making a new unloading bay outside Catlin's. We all had the same point of view. The queues outside the post office, mixed with the bus stop queues would lead to an overcrowded pavement, and buses would likely overhang the stop, blocking road access to the twitten. A member of District Council staff was delegated to trudge up and down the High Street handing these forms out.
Nothing more was heard, and this was before Christmas. I am therefore astonished that Cllr Ann de Vecchi should be surprised that the consultation process about Landport Post Office appears to be a sham. It happens closer to home too!
It is at County level that councils are having success with negotiations with the Post Office. And it is therefore East Sussex County Council who should have been in negotiation. But have they? Well, we do not know. Come on, for that 3.9% increase in the council tax, they could have written one letter and it surely is not too late to get the ball rolling. Elected members - where are you?
Up at the County Town's Country House Hotel, trees have been felled, walls knocked down, and some disturbance allegedly caused to walls of structures in St Peter's Place and Paddock Road. All this happened some three weeks before a planning application was lodged for what is decorously called 'landscaping'. District Council building inspectors and the conservation officer are now belatedly involved and I smell trouble smouldering! This is not the first time that applications have been lodged after the work has started or even been completed. It is my opinion that all work on sites where the application is posted after work has started should be stopped until the application is heard. Even then it is often too late to save trees and protect ancient lights. May we have more vigourous enforcemement, please?
