Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, has welcomed the announcement that the delivery of key improvements to the A22 in and around Hailsham will go ahead following the confirmation of a successful bid for the Government’s Major Road Network funding.
The Major Road Network (MRN) programme was designed to deliver enhancement and renewal schemes on local roads which would otherwise have been unaffordable. In 2022, East Sussex County Council submitted a bid for MRN funding from the Government’s Department for Transport to support the delivery of a multi-million-pound package of improvements for five junctions on the A22 corridor in Hailsham to relieve congestion and support economic growth in the area.
In 2024, the initial stages of the bid were assessed and approved by the then Government, but next steps of the process were unclear following the General Election. On 8th July, the Secretary of State for Transport made a statement to the House of Commons, confirming the status of the various schemes in the MRN programme. In total, 28 schemes were confirmed to be moving ahead through construction, including the changes proposed for the A22/A2290 junction improvements.
Nusrat Ghani said: “The A22 corridor is an important route linking Hailsham with Eastbourne in the south, providing access to jobs, healthcare, education, retail and leisure for our local communities. Following many years of campaigning for improvements to infrastructure in Sussex Weald, I welcome the announcement from the Secretary of State for Transport that the much-needed upgrades for the section of the A22 serving Hailsham will go ahead. This will help reduce congestion and provide better experience for local commuters using private and public transport as well as for cyclists and pedestrians. This is a great win for Hailsham, and I will continue working with Ministers at the Department for Transport and East Sussex County council on further details of the project and to ensure that the construction of these improvements is delivered as soon as possible.”
Photo by Ádám Berkecz on Unsplash
