Coldean parking. What's the latest?

[Lord Bracknell]

You must therefore have a view on the A23/Coastal A27 p&r capacity issue.

What's the question?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Along the A27 to Lewes you can park at the lay by where the burger van is and it must be 15 minutes walk from there, tops. That is my plan anyway.

 

[goldstone]

Sure is or indeed a single match ticket ( they don't ask to see them anyway ). The advantage of catching the bus from the Grenadier is that the H starts there or starts empty and if you don't get an H the S also stops there and usually has a dozen or so spaces left. If either are full early they miss out Withdean and Patcham and go straight to the stadium so you get there nice and quickly.

So what time would you recommend catching a bus from the Grenadier in order to be at the stadium by 2.30?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

So what time would you recommend catching a bus from the Grenadier in order to be at the stadium by 2.30?

Didn't do too many Saturdays last year myself - mainly the evenings BUT the few I did I caught something like the 1.45 / 1.50.

 

[Gwylan]

This seems to make a lot of sense to me, a junction/slip roads right outside, means it deals with those coming from the north/A23, mill road for those coming from the west/A27.

I'd like to know it's not a good idea (putting aside whether the pitl owners would allow it - be a money spinner for them if the club paid them a bit), I can only see upsides.

Just had a look at the site on Google Satellite. Difficult to see exacly what's there, but with a chalk surface it shouldn't be too difficult to grade the site (if necessary) to provide a decent amount of car parking. There's a sign outside saying it's a lime transfer station for Robins of Herstmonceux.

Meanwhile, in the real world ...

Pyecombe is smack in the middle of the South Downs National Park. There would be a lot of jumping through hoops to get planning permission for such a development (particularly, as Hailsham Seagull, has pointed out, with the change of use).

Residents around that part of Sussex are extremely militant about any developments. Plans to develop Pyecombe would, I imagine, see a repeat of the the protests from Lewes/Falmer

B&H council spent years looking into a P&R site off the A23. They actually identified two sites, both of which were eventually rejected. I don't know the details of that exercise but I'm sure that they'd have looked at Pyecombe and rejected it - and that was before the National Park

The cost would be astronomical. The club would need to buy the land, build the car park and then develop the road to support (and that's before the running costs). My guess is around £20 to £25m - they're just going to pay that.

Distance. As Lord B has pointed out, P&Rs need to be a viable distance from the ground. Pyecombe must be borderline

Planning permission. As has been mentioned before, I doubt if the club would get planning permission for any council while there are unused spaces in existing P&Rs

In other words, forget a P&R north of Brighton - the council tried for years: it just ain't going to happen

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Along the A27 to Lewes you can park at the lay by where the burger van is and it must be 15 minutes walk from there, tops. That is my plan anyway.

It's not a great walk. Use your match ticket to travel on the 28 or 29 buses to Falmer Station. The buses run every 10 minutes.

 

[goldstone]

Meanwhile, in the real world ...

Pyecombe is smack in the middle of the South Downs National Park. There would be a lot of jumping through hoops to get planning permission for such a development (particularly, as Hailsham Seagull, has pointed out, with the change of use).

Residents around that part of Sussex are extremely militant about any developments. Plans to develop Pyecombe would, I imagine, see a repeat of the the protests from Lewes/Falmer

B&H council spent years looking into a P&R site off the A23. They actually identified two sites, both of which were eventually rejected. I don't know the details of that exercise but I'm sure that they'd have looked at Pyecombe and rejected it - and that was before the National Park

The cost would be astronomical. The club would need to buy the land, build the car park and then develop the road to support (and that's before the running costs). My guess is around £20 to £25m - they're just going to pay that.

Distance. As Lord B has pointed out, P&Rs need to be a viable distance from the ground. Pyecombe must be borderline

Planning permission. As has been mentioned before, I doubt if the club would get planning permission for any council while there are unused spaces in existing P&Rs

In other words, forget a P&R north of Brighton - the council tried for years: it just ain't going to happen

You may well be right, but I was not suggesting that the club buy the site, just rent it from the current owner on match days for a few hours. The access road from the A23 looks reasonable to me as it is.

So there really wouldn't need to be any "development" except for some grading of the site (maybe) to accommodate a few hundred cars for 5 or 6 hours on 25 occasions during the year.

Hardly likely to spoil the look of the area. The place is an eyesore now.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Meanwhile, in the real world ...

Pyecombe is smack in the middle of the South Downs National Park. There would be a lot of jumping through hoops to get planning permission for such a development (particularly, as Hailsham Seagull, has pointed out, with the change of use).

Residents around that part of Sussex are extremely militant about any developments. Plans to develop Pyecombe would, I imagine, see a repeat of the the protests from Lewes/Falmer

B&H council spent years looking into a P&R site off the A23. They actually identified two sites, both of which were eventually rejected. I don't know the details of that exercise but I'm sure that they'd have looked at Pyecombe and rejected it - and that was before the National Park

The cost would be astronomical. The club would need to buy the land, build the car park and then develop the road to support (and that's before the running costs). My guess is around £20 to £25m - they're just going to pay that.

Distance. As Lord B has pointed out, P&Rs need to be a viable distance from the ground. Pyecombe must be borderline

Planning permission. As has been mentioned before, I doubt if the club would get planning permission for any council while there are unused spaces in existing P&Rs

In other words, forget a P&R north of Brighton - the council tried for years: it just ain't going to happen

The first council project to seek a P&R site north of Brighton had me commissioning consultants. This was when ESCC was the transport authority for Brighton and Hove. A number of potential sites near the A23/A27 interchange were identified. Braypool emerged as favourite, although Waterhall and Horsdean were also in the frame, as was the use of the roundabout underneath the A27 bypass (as you can see - no idea was rejected, however ridiculous). None of them were acceptable in town and country planning terms. And Braypool presented challenges in transport operational terms (access to the site is very convoluted - adding to journey times). Operationally, the best site would be the field next to the Youth Hostel at Patcham. TOTALLY unacceptable in every other respect, of course.

 

[Canonman]

Plenty of green fields around Lewes for a P&R. Mind you, might some of the country bumpkins call to arms especially that politician in Lewes, can't think of his name now.

 

[dougdeep]

Along the A27 to Lewes you can park at the lay by where the burger van is and it must be 15 minutes walk from there, tops. That is my plan anyway.

You'd need to run to do it in 15. I tried it for 3 or 4 games. Also on some matchdays they put a time limit on parking there.

 

[Gwylan]

The first council project to seek a P&R site north of Brighton had me commissioning consultants. This was when ESCC was the transport authority for Brighton and Hove. A number of potential sites near the A23/A27 interchange were identified.

Was Pyecombe looked at? If so, why was it rejected? And if not, why not? Too far? Too much work needed?

 

[Spun Cuppa]

Did I read on this thread about visitor permits being given to residents for their 'guests'? I'm sure a lot of BHA fans know someone in the 'Scoomb or Coldean, so cue a flourishing trade in them and some shekels/favours changing hands

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Was Pyecombe looked at? If so, why was it rejected? And if not, why not? Too far? Too much work needed?

In the early days of looking for a P&R site (when I was involved), the expectation was that the site would serve both the A23 and the A27. Pyecombe fails that test, so it wasn't considered. I know that, more recently, the City Council has commissioned further site evaluation work, but I don't know whether that has included Pyecombe. Current thinking is to achieve reductions in city centre congestion (which is what P&R is all about), by alternative measures such as bus priorities - aimed mostly at residents, rather than out-of-town visitors.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

You may well be right, but I was not suggesting that the club buy the site, just rent it from the current owner on match days for a few hours. The access road from the A23 looks reasonable to me as it is.

So there really wouldn't need to be any "development" except for some grading of the site (maybe) to accommodate a few hundred cars for 5 or 6 hours on 25 occasions during the year.

Hardly likely to spoil the look of the area. The place is an eyesore now.

But the land is run as a Lime transfer depot for Robins of Herstonceux, and as such that is the licensed use for it.
To use it for any other use would require a planning application.
You talk about the access being good, but it is on a duel carriageway, so buses returning to the prososed P&R would have to go up to the next roundabout to get access to the quarry.

 

[gazingdown]

Current thinking is to achieve reductions in city centre congestion (which is what P&R is all about

But (for football) most traffic is from A27 or A23 so has to go THROUGH built up areas to get to Mill Road or the Racecouse.

Actually, on that note, is the parking at the club used as a P&R on non-match days (i.e. travelling the other way round etc.)

 

[les dynam]

Meanwhile, in the real world ...

Pyecombe is smack in the middle of the South Downs National Park. There would be a lot of jumping through hoops to get planning permission for such a development (particularly, as Hailsham Seagull, has pointed out, with the change of use).

Residents around that part of Sussex are extremely militant about any developments. Plans to develop Pyecombe would, I imagine, see a repeat of the the protests from Lewes/Falmer

B&H council spent years looking into a P&R site off the A23. They actually identified two sites, both of which were eventually rejected. I don't know the details of that exercise but I'm sure that they'd have looked at Pyecombe and rejected it - and that was before the National Park

The cost would be astronomical. The club would need to buy the land, build the car park and then develop the road to support (and that's before the running costs). My guess is around £20 to £25m - they're just going to pay that.

Distance. As Lord B has pointed out, P&Rs need to be a viable distance from the ground. Pyecombe must be borderline

Planning permission. As has been mentioned before, I doubt if the club would get planning permission for any council while there are unused spaces in existing P&Rs

In other words, forget a P&R north of Brighton - the council tried for years: it just ain't going to happen

The alternative scenario involved a few hundred cars being parked perfectly legally in the two large residential areas closest to the stadium for a few hours once or twice a month. Oh.

 

[goldstone]

You talk about the access being good, but it is on a duel carriageway, so buses returning to the prososed P&R would have to go up to the next roundabout to get access to the quarry.

I thought there was an underpass there right by the entrance to the quarry? Obviously not suitable for double-deckers, but OK for bendys.

 

[dougdeep]

Is there a chance of using the training centre as a P&R once it's finished? Are there enough spaces?

 

[The Large One]

Is there a chance of using the training centre as a P&R once it's finished? Are there enough spaces?

You'd have exactly the same problem with Lancing as you would with Hickstead - distance.

They're both 11.5 miles from Falmer.

 

[surrey jim]

The alternative scenario involved a few hundred cars being parked perfectly legally in the two large residential areas closest to the stadium for a few hours once or twice a month. Oh.

The point I have made before is although the majority of cars are parked legally and consideratly there are some of those that didnt. Walking home from matches I have seen cars parked on verges outside peoples homes, blocking residents veichles in driveways. veichles parked blocking the double yellow lines which cause issues for busses turning at Bolney road bus stop. It is due to these inconsiderate drivers that no one can park there now.