In drafting my Maiden Speech, I read the Maiden Speeches of my last four predecessors in Hastings and Rye, starting with Kenneth Warren in 1972. All of them highlighted the necessity of improvements to the A21 as being an essential prerequisite to economic growth and development in the constituency. Nearly 50 years later, I will be making the same point; that to have any chance of ‘levelling up’ opportunities in Hastings and Rye, of providing opportunities to all our residents and of unleashing the potential of Hastings and Rye residents and businesses, this Government needs to invest in the A21 – and in our local rail transport infrastructure. A good transport infrastructure platform, combined with a skilled local population will attract new businesses to Hastings, encourage start-up businesses and existing businesses to grow, boosting economic growth in Hastings and Rye and help combat poverty.
The A21 is the main trunk road that runs between London and Hastings. Over the past decades, investment has been made, improving sections of the road from single carriageway to dual. The sections of single carriageway are frequently congested, particularly in peak periods and the summertime. We all know the reputation of the A21; the ‘snail trail’, ‘a joke’. The road not only deters visitors and businesses from using it, it is also one of the most dangerous roads in the country, if not the UK’s most dangerous stretch of road. Before the dualling of the road between Tonbridge and Pembury was completed in 2017, the number of accidents on this stretch of road was above national average. This 1.7 mile stretch of road took years to improve at a cost of around £70 million. It is unacceptable that this key trunk road, linking Hastings and Rye to the M25, airports and London is not dual-carriage way the entire route.
Transport is at the heart for a better future for Hastings and Rye and this also includes rail; the High Speed One from London to Hastings. For too long this has been spoken about and worked on by many hardworking local groups – to little avail. The investment in rail for this part of the network is arguably minimal for the return on investment; reducing journey times from Hastings to London would be a game changer by unlocking our constituency to business investment, and improvement in jobs and job opportunities. We have a plan in place, ready to go. We need investment from the Government to give full steam ahead.
Our inadequate transport infrastructure has been a major contributing factor in holding back economic growth in Hastings and Rye – we have lagged behind London and the rest of the South East. Improving our transport infrastructure will not only enhance our productivity, efficiency, connectivity and communication, but also encourage private sector investment and income equality.
Good transport infrastructure is also essential to ensuring the quality and accessibility of health and education; healthy, educated citizens are vital to wealth performance and economic growth.
Transport infrastructure and services are therefore a public good and as such, I have raised, and will continue to raise, the importance of this at every possible opportunity with the Prime Minister, the Treasury and Secretary of State for Transport until these improvements are delivered for Hastings and Rye.
Sally-Ann Hart MP