A campaign has been launched to build a new pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Tillingham to create a safer route to Rye’s schools, leisure centre and railway station.
The proposed bridge would cross the river at Rams Field, connecting the footpath from Tilling Green directly to the alleyway leading to Rye Primary School, Rye College and Rye Leisure Centre. Supporters say the project would encourage more people to walk and cycle, and reduce the need to use busy roads.
The project is being led by Sussex Greenways. Chairman Nick Hanna said, “Although East Sussex County Council supports the principle of a new crossing there is currently no funding available to build it. So we’re pressing ahead with plans to secure planning permission so the scheme is ready to go when funding opportunities arise.”
As part of the project, topographical surveys have been completed, detailed drawings are being prepared and environmental assessments have been commissioned. A structural engineer is also advising the group as discussions continue over the bridge’s design.
The proposed crossing has received backing from James and Claire Langrish, the owners of Rams Field, as well as Rye Leisure Centre and Rye College. An active travel survey is also being launched with Rye College pupils among those being asked how the bridge would change the way they travel.
The campaigners hope that evidence will help with funding bids for the £200,000 to £250,000 cost. “That isn’t a huge amount for a bridge that could encourage hundreds of people to walk and cycle more often,” said Nick Hanna. “Walking, wheeling and cycling investment delivers around £6 of health and social benefits for every £1 spent. Rye has seen very little investment in active travel over the past decade and we think it’s time to rebalance that.”
He said money is already coming in, but more help was urgently needed. “Thanks to the support of a local benefactor, the new bridge plans have already raised £1,800 towards important ecology studies. A further £5,000 is required for further ecology studies, engineering drawings and planning fees before Sussex Greenways can progress towards planning permission. Please give generously – this is a project which will benefit everybody in Rye. Thank you.”
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/
Image Credits: Chris McGrath , Sussex Greenways .
May I point out that as far back as when Tesco had the option to build on the Lower School site and Valley Park was barely completed, local farmer Frank Langrish was advocating for this exact solution for access from Tilling Green to Rye College via a bridge over the Tillingham. I am pleased to see that James and Claire Langrish are taking the project forward. If memory serves me correctly, had Tesco been allowed to go ahead with their Superstore plan, they were prepared to front the cost, appreciating the obvious benefits. Just as, had they been allowed to go ahead decades ago,Tesco would also have long been providing the second supermarket Rye still does not have!
As a matter of fact: Tesco submitted a planning application for a supermarket on the Lower School site in 2010, with Sainsbury’s doing likewise the following year. The Sainsbury’s application was approved in 2013, whereas the Tesco one was eventually withdrawn in 2022. By amending their application, Tesco could easily have obtained approval also, but chose not to. In 2015 Sainsbury’s successfully had a condition removed requiring the northern footway of the level crossing to be widened.
So it strikes me as highly unlikely that Tesco would ever have been happy not just to widen the footway, but throw in a new pedestrian and cycling bridge to boot – see Col Kimber’s comment for costs. The reason that neither Tesco nor Sainsbury’s went ahead was not because they were prevented from so doing, but because the shift towards online shopping made it unprofitable for them.
As already stated by Col Kimber, in 2012, the Rother Environmental Group initiated the proposal for a new bridge. On a voluntary basis, and with the support of other residents, I prepared a report making the case for this bridge in 2015. The discussions culminated in the County Council issuing an 84 page report in January 2017.
We were then advised that ‘the County Council are simply not in a financial position to cover costs of this magnitude when a considerable amount of funding has been invested on cycle infrastructure in Rye over recent years.’ It should be noted that ESCC has not provided any funding whatsoever for cycling infrastructure for Rye in more than 10 years now.
New Tillingham Bridge – my understanding is that way back, a condition of granting planning permission for the Valley Park development, was that the developers fund a new bridge, as now proposed. Several years ago this issue was put to a local Councillor, who stated that the developer had met their obligation by providing the funding for the bridge, but that the Council had redirected the monies to other projects/uses. Surely this is a dereliction of duty, as the promise of a bridge was made as an incentive for the local community to approve the development of Valley Park?
Am I wrong in the above recollection? If not, why isn’t the Council prepared to at least help the funding of this project!
I think the public funds are being depleted by trying to figure out how to manage a public toilet, Ian.
There were apparently what are known as Section 106 monies allocated from the development of Valley Park for this purpose. We’ve tried our best to trace them through Rother District Council but my understanding is that the have long since been re-allocated.
Response to Ian Scott .
As a current Valley Park resident who has no knowledge of history IF the Valley Park Developer paid for a bridge it may well be the one from the southern pedestrian exit over the brook into the Tilling Green estate at Cooper Road NOT one at the other end of Tillingham and into Rye College – that would in fact be illogical as its a distance away from Valley Park.
Having said this the idea of further pedestrian routes through Rye are in my view a positive amenity for all
I think Ian is correct.
The Section 106 agreement was, I understand, for the Valley Park developers to pay Rother a sum of some £thousands to be spent on a new foot and cycle bridge where now proposed, linking to the footpath to the schools and Leisure Centre, thus avoiding the dangerous trek from Valley Park and Tilling Green along the B2089.
At that time Aquinas hadn’t fenced off the area with electric gates at both ends.
Somewhere along the line Rother has ‘lost’ the money earmarked for the bridge, by spending it elsewhere.
That showed a sleight of hand, in my opinion.
Let’s remember the walkway to the school is owned by the school, and the electric gates were put in place to safeguard the children whilst in their classes. They are quite rightly closed at certain times through the day, but for others using the bridge, if it gets built, it means two alternative routes into town
Such a great project which makes sense for so many reasons. We have similar challenges connecting the new Tapestry Estate in Battle with the station and also the proposed development in Robertsbridge from the Mill Site to the station. The latter would mean crossing the river. I had two thoughts. One is approaching Rother for Community Infrastructure Funding. The other was that a Bailey bridge was suggested. They were created quickly by the army during the war and are still used today.
Very best wishes for this deserving project.
In 2012, when some of us were initiating the Neighbourhood Plan ” the Rye Greenway Plan was launched by the ROTHER Environmental Group (REG). The project was described as an exciting and ambitious plan for a ‘greenway’ running through Rye which would provide a safe, shared route for pedestrians, cyclists, pushchair users and the less able between key trip attractions. The Rye Greenway plan envisaged a 1.5 kilometre route running from Valley Park at its western end, through the Tilling Green estate, and then connecting to sports and educational facilities on the other side of the River Tillingham by means of a new bridge.”
Separately, when Aroncorps built Valley Park there were developer’s agreements including improvements to walkways (now known as walking, wheeling and cycling ways) between the Park and Rye Centre. As a result, the Cooper Road footbridge over the Tillingham Sewer was installed. My recollection is that some £45k of contributions was banked by Rother DC nominally for future work on the Greenway or similar projects.
Around 10 years ago some of us attempted to take forward the Greenway project working with ESCC, Rother DC and others. This ground to a halt when ESCC costed the project at around £1m and emphasised that Rye had no priority for any assistance. The £1m cost included signage and surface work to meet all known regulations between the Cooper Road bridge through to the Schools via a bridge over the River Tillingham.
As has been pointed out, direct access to the Schools and Leisure Centre area from the Tillingham direction is now restricted for safeguarding reasons, but a detour via Love Lane is possible.
The Greenway project remains in the reviewed version of the Neighbourhood Plan. It is good to see it resurfacing. The team should check with Rother DC to see if the £45k is still available and ensure that Rye TC is minded to support in case there is any Community Infrastructure Levy money available.
Rye Neighbourhood Plan
I take issue with Dominic mannings observation on the Tesco and Sainsbury’s fiasco on the old school site in ferry road, with both supermarkets buying up adjoining properties, and with spineless councils not intervening this episode went on for years,of course in the end the excuse that more people were doing online shopping maybe true,but it hasn’t stopped Aldi expanding their portfolio right across Sussex and kent.
Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the irony, 10 years after Brexit and in a continuation of project ‘Take Back Control’, that our town is now hailing the arrival of a ‘cheap’ German supermarket, so that we’re not just lumbered with the ‘expensive’ British one. *
Many people tell me that we need cheap food because there is a cost of living crisis. There has never been a cost of living crisis (affecting everyone in equal measure), only ever a wealth inequality crisis.
Rather than relentlessly clobbering our farmers and our environment in the pursuit of cheap food, why not start addressing the real problem, which is that many live in poverty at the same time as UK billionaires are seeing their collective wealth increase by more than £30 million EVERY DAY. A universal basic income would be a good start. Everyone needs food, so let’s value food.
* Jempsons is independent, whereas Morrisons itself is owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private equity firm based in the US.