Wealden’s £558,000 Hamsey Bridge pledge draws funding questions

Wealden District Council has decided to contribute £558,000 towards Hamsey Bridge, a proposed crossing of the River Ouse outside the district. The money would come from its community infrastructure levy, which is charged to developers. The bridge would form part of a planned nine-mile (14.5km) walking and cycling route between Uckfield and Lewes, partly following a former railway track bed. [1]

Opposition councillors called the decision in for scrutiny. Andrew Wilson, one of the five councillors involved, questioned why a bridge in Lewes was being prioritised over infrastructure needed to support development in Wealden. He also said the wider greenway faced unresolved landowner agreements. The scrutiny committee voted to take no further action. [1]

The council says the bridge is essential to improving connections between Lewes and Hamsey and enabling a future route to Uckfield. It says release of its contribution would be conditional. Two-thirds of the bridge’s £1.67m funding has been agreed, but the South Downs National Park Authority did not select the scheme for community infrastructure levy funding at its 10 September meeting. [1]