Hi Gaby, I wouldn't mind having a look at the transport plans - it's clearly nonsense, and they obviously a) don't live in the area, or b) travel by bus in the area. Getting into town via central St Leonards takes at least 20 minutes, so travelling further than that would i.e. from Ore would take, with all the stops etc, at least 30 - 40 minutes. Noone with a car would do that willingly. Moreover, the likelihood is that people from outside the town won't be able to resist the lure of 2p of a pint of milk, and why should they care about Silverhill, pollution, noise, etc. Where are the transport plans posted?
Please have a look at the Asda Transport Assessment. I have not yet been able to read all of it as it's a) extremely bulky and b) extremely infuriating.
They are saying that there are 21 busses an hour to Silverhill. They are also saying that 52,000 people in Hastings are able to get to the proposed Asda by bus within 20 minutes! They are basing calculations on how people are going to get to the store, i.e. how many people would walk or cycle, to a "similar" store on the high street in Southgate! How can they compare Southgate with Silverhill? The Southgate store is 5 minutes from a tube station and 13 minutes from the train station. The high street there, Chase Side, is huge with McDonald and Marks & Spencer just down the road. Oh, and it's all flat of course.
In the Transport Assessment Appendix, I think it's U, you can see where they are proposing the bus stop... further down Battle Road so that people would have to trapse up the hill in Battle Road, then cross the car park entrance to Asda, then cross 4 roads in order to get to the local shops. They are effectively creating a physical barrier for anyone who wants to use the local shops and doesn't already walk south along Sedlescombe Road North.
Please write your comments to the council. If you have already written a letter, you can still write another if you can think of more arguments. You can write in as many times as you like, the important thing is not how often you write, but how many valid points you make. So please keep commenting. You can do so online at http://www.ukplanning.com/ukp/showCaseFile.do?councilName=Hastings+Borough+Council&appNumber=HS/FA/08/00378