Residents of a Park Home on the outskirts of Hailsham are calling changes to bus services a move which could see them imprisoned in their own homes.
Owners of homes at Deanland Wood Park, near Golden Cross are fearing they won’t be able to attend regular appointments or visit supermarkets when they need to, if the regular bus route into town changes from daily, to twice a week.
The 524 residents of the park currently have access to a bus service into the centre of Hailsham every two hours, Monday to Friday. New plans highlighted in the East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) propose changes to the 143 route, operated by Compass Travel, with the creation of a new high-frequency Hailsham to Lewes bus service.
This would mean buses will no longer travel the one-mile route from the Golden Cross junction to Deanland at regular intervals, if the new measures are implemented.
Jacky Seldis who lives on the park said: “These buses are my only transportation available to me from Deanland Wood Park. As you can imagine I am devastated. As an elderly person without a vehicle, I can only move off of Deanland Wood Park with public transport. As it is, I am unable to visit friends or family, theatres or cinema or even restaurants in the evenings or weekends.”
She added: ”Whilst I am old — I am not dead yet! I am an active and vibrant elderly person who wants to live at Deanland Wood Park. It is visually beautiful and a delightful place to live with wonderful people around me.”
Another resident who didn’t want to be named said: “Our shop is due to be closed for a long time soon for refurbishment and our Post Office will also close with it — so how are we meant to live our daily lives effectively?”
They added: “The last bus on weekdays is at 6pm, so if this is missed, we have to walk down the 1 mile, un-lit road, from Golden Cross which is a national speed limit section, to get home. Or, we have to get a taxi into Hailsham which costs more than £30.”
Although many residents argue their activities will be reduced due to the new measures, East Sussex County Council says not enough people are using the service to warrant the costs.
In a statement to Hailsham News, East Sussex County Council said: “A recent on-bus survey found that just 16 passengers were using the county council-funded service from Deanland Wood over the course of a day. Low passenger numbers, and the fact that costs to continue the current service will treble from April, mean it is not financially viable to include Deanland Wood in the new route.”
They added: “A bus service will continue to be provided for Deanland Wood through the introduction of a new community bus service which will run to Hailsham and Eastbourne two days a week, alongside a demand responsive transport (DRT) service for the area. These services would provide links to the wider conventional bus network. The DRT service would be available for residents to book Monday to Saturday from 7am to 7pm with comparable fares to a normal bus service.”
MP for Lewes Maria Caulfield told us: “I have urgently contacted East County council as I am very concerned about any reduction in service especially as the Government has just given the County Council £41 million to improve services.”
She added: “Deanland Wood Park is a lovely place to live but it is isolated if you can’t drive and depend on the bus service to get to the shops, GP and other services.”
The Bus Service Improvement Plan in East Sussex is part of a £41m government-funded scheme to improve services and increase the use of public transport in the county.
