Rother Local Plan 2025-2042 – Development Strategy and Site Allocations

I have no land-won minerals or waste management capacity safeguarding objections or comments to make regarding the application above. No doubt East Sussex County Council may wish to comment on any safeguarded land-won mineral or waste management/mineral processing facilities that may be important to consider against the policies of the adopted Development Plan of the area.

Re: Draft Rother Local Plan 2025-2042 – Development Strategy and Site Allocations –
Regulation 18 Public Consultation

Thank you for consulting Kent County Council (hereafter referred to as the County Council)
on the Draft Rother Local Plan – Development Strategy and Site Allocations.

The County Council has reviewed the Draft Local Plan and for ease of reference, has
provided comments structured under its services below.

Highways and Transportation

The County Council notes that Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council have
prepared a Shared Transport Evidence Base (STEB) which sets out an Interim Assessment
of the potential transport impacts of future growth.

Initial observations from the Interim Assessment and Mitigation Strategy (Transport No e
001) indicate that there will be significant traffic increases on the A268 approach to the A21
at Flimwell crossroads and the A229/A229 Cooper’s Corner junction ‘will see an increase in
up to 300 vehicles per hour during the peak periods.’ Both these junctions are gateways to
the junction of A229/A268 Hawkhurst crossroads which is constrained and has historically
suffered capacity issues. There are also likely to be significant traffic increases along the
A228 and other Kent roads which are intended to serve as ‘strategic network corridors’.

The County Council requests that the impacts of the proposed growth in the Rother district
are assessed to ensure that the additional traffic generated does not have a severe impact
on congestion or is detrimental to highway safety on the Kent road network. The County
Council recommends use of the Kent Transport Model for this purpose and welcomes the
opportunity to scope out such an assessment.

The County Council, as neighbouring Local Highway Authority, would welcome engagement
with Rother District Council and East Sussex County Council to properly assess the impact
of the Draft Local Plan on Kent’s roads.

Original letter is attached.