Town Council Approves Funding for Critical Amberstone Road and A267 Safety Surveys

The Town Council has agreed to allocate up to £2,000 towards the surveys, including £575 to help progress long-standing concerns about the A271 at Amberstone, as well as separate funding for an additional safety assessment on the A267 near the new Wealden Community Sports Hub.

The surveys are intended to provide additional evidence to support ongoing discussions about road safety and traffic conditions at both locations. While the Town Council does not have responsibility for these roads, councillors recognise the concerns being raised by local residents and have agreed to provide funding to help move matters forward.

The funding package was originally proposed by the Town Council’s Planning and Development Committee before being formally approved by Full Council at its meeting on Wednesday 24 September.

Comprehensive Data Focus for the A271 at Amberstone

The Town Council will provide £575 specifically to commission Road Data Safety Ltd to carry out a comprehensive traffic assessment on the A271. In direct response to community needs, the survey will go far beyond basic speed monitoring; it will record total vehicle volume and explicitly identify the different types of heavy and light vehicles using the stretch.

The Amberstone site has been the focus of intense local concern following a serious collision in early 2024 that left two schoolgirls severely injured, sparking a community petition with over 1,000 signatures. While East Sussex County Council (ESCC) previously noted the project did not meet the specific scoring threshold required for immediate capital funding, they acknowledged that speed and traffic data would be needed to develop future proposals.

Hailsham Town Council has proactively stepped forward to fund this evidence, providing the vital data required to help all parties progress the safety scheme.

New A267 Survey Near Wealden Community Sports Hub

Recognising emerging road safety needs, the Town Council has also agreed to finance a second, crucial traffic survey on the busy A267 stretch just outside Hailsham. This assessment will monitor the area immediately adjacent to the new Wealden Community Sports Hub near the Boship Roundabout.

Since opening in August 2026, the £16.7 million state-of-the-art sports park has successfully attracted thousands of visitors to its floodlit 3G pitches, skate parks, and courts. However, local discussions have highlighted growing pedestrian connectivity and road safety issues, particularly regarding safe access to the hub from nearby footpaths like the Cuckoo Trail.

Local residents have flagged the current difficulty of safely crossing the fast-moving A267 on foot to reach the entrance. The newly approved council-funded survey will collect concrete evidence on vehicle speeds and traffic spikes generated by the facility to determine what permanent traffic-calming measures or crossings are necessary.

Councillor Chris Bryant, Town Mayor, Magham Down ward councillor and Chair of the Planning and Development Committee, welcomed the council’s decisive action: “The safety of our residents – whether they are children walking to school near Amberstone or families accessing the new Wealden Community Sports Hub on the A267 – is our absolute priority.”

“We are stepping up with up to £2,000 in local funding to bypass bureaucratic delays and put independent data on the table. By working with Road Data Safety Ltd, we will gather the exact evidence needed regarding speed, volume and vehicle types to build a case for permanent highway safety features.”

The Town Council will share the combined results of both independent surveys directly with county highways authorities to accelerate the development of permanent pedestrian safety infrastructure.