Millennium Communities

The Millennium Communities site covers the old Broomgrove Power Station site, the railway goods yards down to Parker Road and Mount Pleasant Road, up to the old St. Helen's Hospital site on Frederick Road.  It's being redeveloped by Seaspace (the local regeneration agency) to provide a new 'village centre' around the old Ore Station, shops and business premises and around 450 new homes, with a 'greenspace' area to be retained from the undeveloped, green parts of the site.

The project is however way overdue - originally, the first homes were scheduled to be handed over to their new owners in 2003, but complications with land assembly put paid to that.  Since then, the economic downturn hasn't helped.  However, Bellway Homes have now signed the development agreement, and work is starting on building 51 homes, a Tesco express and office space around Ore station.  However, the Tressell Ward part of the site on Frederick  Road, with its infamous 'road to nowhere', is in some doubt.  This is now phase 4, and will not happen for the foreseeable future - probably for years.  Join in our Facebook discussion on this ...

Broomgrove Allotments Development Site

In spite of local opposition, and opposition from Tressell councillors, a planning application to develop this site (on the steep slope between Mount Pleasant Road and Broomgrove Road) was agreed in 2008.  One of the conditions of the planning application was that Broomgrove Road, from Mount Pleasant Road to the site access, should be improved - in effect, built to an 'adoptable' standard, apart from the surface layer, which would have to be added after the development was finished.

Building work is now well underway.  And although the buildings seem to comply with the plans, there are concerns about the engineering groundwork, and the road is still not up to the required standard.  Added to all that, the temporarily footpath across the site is also blocked and unusable.

 The Council believes the developer now to be in breach of  planning conditions, and will be taking appropriate action.  A prosecution is now pending.

Upper Ore Valley

The Upper Ore Valley (know locally as 'the 'Oller') is an area of undeveloped wooded land extending from Frederick Road up to Victoria Avenue, between Church Street and Old London Road.  This wonderful, unspoilt area of land is (in part) earmarked for housing development, but many local people (and your Tressell councillors) believe it should be retained as open space, and opened up for public access.  A local organisation called Ore Valley Action is setting up a Community Land Trust to take over stewardship of unregistered in the valley, and hopefully take over other land by public agencies and others, gradually opening it up for public access.

The Ore Community Land Trust has been set up to oversee the work in the valley, and management of the unregistered land.  Prince's Trust volunteers have been helping to clear the valley, and various conservation days are being organised.  Work on clearing and tidying the valley has begun again, with volunteers working most Saturday mornings.

If you'd like to join or would like more information, the trust can be contacted at:

ore.clt@hotmail.com

Road Safety

After years of waiting and delays, the Sussex Arms junction scheme is completed.  However, safety issues still remain, with accidents occurring where traffic turns right into Mount Road.  We recently met East Sussex County Council officers on site, with local residents.  ESCC officers will now prepare some proposals to improve the safety of the junction. It will, however, always be a difficult junction to get right, and to make it safe while not holding up traffic up too long.  Six roads meet here ...

Mount Pleasant Road safety works were partially completed, But were not fully installed by the county council because of in-year cuts in government funding. 

 The mini roundabout in Frederick Road has now been removed, and 'Unsuitable for HGV' signs have now been installed in Frederick road at the junction with Clifton Road.  We'll keep an eye on that, to see if they're effective.  But the missing speed cushions have still not been replaced - again, we'll keep pressure on the county council to do this.