Delayed road costs businesses millions, MP says

Businesses have "lost millions" as a result of the delay in opening a Hastings road, an MP has said.

The Queensway Gateway Road Project was due to be completed in November 2016, but the final section of the road - which was delayed by an unsuccessful judicial review - remains unfinished.

MP Helena Dollimore, the MP for Hastings and Rye, told the House of Commons on Thursday that local residents called the project the "road to nowhere".

A spokesperson for East Sussex County Council, which is overseeing the project, said: "We are committed to completing the Queensway Gateway Road project as soon as possible."

The road will connect Queensway with Sedlescombe Road North or the A21 in northern Hastings/St Leonards.

Ms Dollimore said her constituents referred to it as is the "road to nowhere" because "it has been left unfinished for over a decade".

She added: "East Sussex County Council has let the works overrun for months and months, leaving residents and businesses stuck in delays. Local businesses have lost millions."

The local authority said work on site had been delayed "due to significant remedial works" which are now near completion and a burst water main, that has now been fixed.

A spokesperson said: "We are working with our delivery partners to plan the next phase of work and are exploring all options for accelerating construction in the New Year."

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