Next week sees two opportunities for Rye’s residents to have their say – first to the Town Council, and then to the police.
Wednesday sees the annual Town Meeting from 6:30 for 7pm in the Rye Community Centre in Conduit Hill, starting off with a welcome from Mayor Cllr Bernardine Fiddimore who then gives an overview of the year followed by an open session for questions, concerns, issues etc.
Last month two meetings were held about Rye’s Neighbourhood Plan – in St Mary’s Centre and Tilling Green Community Centre – to update residents on the issues affecting the town’s future. Around 230 attended the two sessions, and around 50 comments were made.
Some will no doubt be repeated at the Town Meeting and issues likely to crop up will include whether we need another supermarket (with Costcutters and Jempsons expanding, and more and more home deliveries of internet orders) and whether the High Street should be pedestrianised – or at least closed to traffic for parts of the day.
Another issue that may be raised is the Landgate, where Rother District Council appears to be back-tracking on a recent “summit” of interested parties about how the deteriorating and neglected ancient monument might be restored and protected in future.
Other issues may include starting a “park and ride” into the town centre and possibly a bypass – which was raised at last year’s Town Meeting by a former Mayor.
For example, work necessary to bring hi-speed trains through Rye might be an opportunity to have a “double-decker” with a road on top of the railway line incorporating the electrification trains will need – thus avoiding the environmental problems other possible bypass routes presented.
Cycleways and the state of the rivers and river banks may also be raised, as may be the shortcomings of the sewer system to cope with anything out of the ordinary in the way of rainfall. And what is happening about the proposed development in Tilling Green where flooding was an issue?
Parking may well be raised too, though the Mayor herself may raise that with the Police and Crime Commissioner the following day at Thursday’s public meeting on police issues at the Rye Community Centre from 5:45pm.
Other police issues may also concern the levels of police staffing – and possibly more cuts – and the impact this may have, at busy times, when holidaymakers can arrive in hundreds and thousands, particularly in Camber.
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