'Our village is not a junction on the M25'

2 hours ago

George Cardenin Hurst Green

Residents like Graham Browne say they are not happy with works on the A21 running through Hurst Green

George Carden/BBC Graham Browne standing in front of the roadworks which are orange cones and fencing. behind him is the old courthouse which lights will be placed in front of. he has a rain coat on and navy blue jumper and gray hair — Residents like Graham Browne say they are not happy with works on the A21 running through Hurst Green

"They're putting in too much infrastructure that the village doesn't need. It's not a junction on the M25", says lifelong Hurst Green resident Graham Browne.

The 72-year-old is one of dozens of residents who are not happy with roadworks on the A21 which runs through the East Sussex village.

Villagers are worried that a new traffic light system around the Station Road junction will cause more congestion, and say lighting which will be installed for the scheme in front of Grade II listed buildings will ruin its heritage.

National Highways says it is delivering a range of improvements on the A21, and its design is compliant with highway standards.

Residents say they are not happy with traffic lights and street lights being placed in front of the Old Courthouse which was built in 1892

George Carden/BBC Plastic fencing and cones set up with fencing and an excavator in front of the old court house which has a large front window and clock tower — Residents say they are not happy with traffic lights and street lights being placed in front of the Old Courthouse which was built in 1892

Browne, who is also chair of the parish council, adds: "We've got a really nice courthouse, when it's floodlit you won't see most of it. It will be behind these hideous lights they're putting in."

National Highways is widening footpaths, resurfacing the road, installing traffic islands, streetlights, traffic signals and a pedestrian crossing point at the Station Road junction.

The authority started works in February and they are due to finish on 26 June.

The A21 carries up to 40,000 vehicles per day. In the five years up to December 2019, there were 81 crashes on the 7.2 mile (11.5km) stretch between Hurst Green and Lamberhurst in Kent, which equates to a crash every 23 days. Three of those crashes were fatal.

'Treated like a motorway'

Sussex Police data showed there were 10 crashes in the last five years at the Station Road junction, with four of those deemed as serious crashes.

Bob Collins, a resident of 19 years, says: "We're being treated like a motorway with motorway type equipment being used.

"The disruption is enormous, we know it will be a big disruption after the permanent lights are put in."

Julie Weare, who lives in the Old Courthouse building, adds: "We're concerned that pedestrians will be more forced into the road because of placing [the lights] by the wall.

"There's a multitude of mismatched lighting poles. We feel the building is being defaced.

"Villagers care about this building."

The roadworks on the A21 running through Hurst Green

George Carden/BBC Orange plastic fencing and cones placed next to the road with cars driving past, there is also a new pavement where two workers stand — The roadworks on the A21 running through Hurst Green

A National Highways spokesperson said: "Safety is our top priority, and we are delivering a range of improvements on this route.

"Our design is compliant with highway standards, and no heritage concerns were raised when we spoke with experts."

National Highways said it had started engaging with the parish council and other stakeholders on the proposals in 2023.

The authority said a safety audit was carried out as part of the scheme and did not find any issues with the positioning of the poles in front of the old courthouse.

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