Date of meeting: 20 September 2022

A period of not more than fifteen minutes shall be allowed at each ordinary meeting of the Council for the hearing of deputations from members of the public. Each deputation may be heard for a maximum of five minutes following which one Member of the Council, nominated by the Mayor, may speak in response. It shall then be moved by the Mayor and voted on without discussion that the spokesperson for the deputation be thanked for attending and its subject matter noted.

Notification of two Deputations has been received. The spokesperson is entitled to speak for 5 minutes.

(1) Deputation: Rottingdean High Street planter

Time to remove the Rottingdean Planter!

Residents say it is time for the Council to remove the planter from Rottingdean High St, which is causing congestion and road safety issues, particularly for pedestrians.

Rottingdean’s narrow High Street was placed under an experimental traffic order by the Council in 2019 to address pollution in a limited area at its lower end. This included a giant planter box being installed on the road surface, blocking one half of the road.

Other parts of the experiment included a yellow hatched ‘no stopping’ box on the southbound lane from the southern building line of Dene’s Mews and a ban on right hand turns out of West Street. These other measures have been successful reducing waiting traffic at the lower end of the High Street and residents are happy for these to continue. However residents are fed up with the giant planter and want it removed for the following reasons:

1. Pedestrian safety (narrow pavement) – The planter totally blocks one lane, necessitating southbound traffic to move to the other side of the road to pass. This adjoins a very narrow strip of pavement and pedestrians are subjected to traffic passing within inches of them. Residents have in many instances had to flatten themselves against the shop front to avoid being hit by large wing mirrors.

2. Pedestrian safety (zebra crossing) – Long queues of southbound traffic waiting behind the planter obscure the view of zebra crossing for the traffic coming up the High Street from the Coast Road, thereby endangering the safety of pedestrians who have already stepped onto the crossing from the east side of the road.

3. Pollution - Resulting queuing traffic has increased pollution and noise massively at the upper end of the high street. The planter means that much through traffic now diverts to residential areas of Steyning Road, Chailey Avenue and beyond. Residents in this area are having their lives greatly impacted by this planter.

The Council originally said that the trial would last 18 months only with evidence collected before a decision on whether it should be permanent. The council extended this for another 18 months due to Covid. This time has now come to an end and residents want a decision made to remove the planter with immediate effect because it just does not work. It causes increased congestion and danger for pedestrians. At one time when the planter was being discussed it had the full support of the Parish Council but this is no longer the case.

There is confusion that the Council is now changing the goalposts by saying the planter is no longer about pollution but about slowing down traffic, which was never mentioned in the Council’s 2019 press release announcing and justifying the measures.

We the undersigned are calling on the council to do the following:

1. Listen to Rottingdean residents and confirm that the planter will be removed when the trial expires as it is not fit for purpose and is a failed measure.

2. Write to all Rottingdean residents to confirm the date of its removal.

Supported by:

Lynda Hyde

John Eisbank

Sue Eisbank

Alison Peters

Vincent Smith

Max Peters