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THE owner of an Eastbourne café at the centre of the controversial Station Parade bus lane scheme has claimed businesses were never consulted, as East Sussex County Council confirmed the silver birch tree outside the premises will be removed.
Hayley Chester, owner of That Coffee Place, has criticised the consultation process, saying she only became aware of the proposals shortly before a public hearing despite taking over the business in February 2024.
She told Eastbourne News: “As a business, I was never consulted. I took over the shop in February 2024, but I only found out about the bus lane in 2025 from the Enterprise Centre about three weeks before the hearing.
“We only had a few weeks to gather local businesses’ and residents’ objections, which they then put forward at the hearing last year before the ‘final’ decision.”
Ms Chester said she believes nearby businesses were not properly informed about the plans, despite proposals appearing on the county council’s website in 2023.
She added: “Denise had not been informed about the bus lane and only knew about it because she happened to come across a leaflet about it.
“On the ESCC website, this all started back in 2023 from what I’ve seen. I wasn’t at Station Parade, and Denise from the Enterprise Centre wasn’t aware.
“If we had been informed correctly by ESCC, then maybe we wouldn’t be where we are today. In our eyes, we’ve not been consulted correctly and we feel ignored, pushed aside and clearly the decision was made back in 2023 regardless of public opinion.
“That is very clear given the outcome of the tree’s fate.”
Ms Chester also claims the latest road layout includes additional work compared with earlier plans.
She said: “I have read the report and have also compared the two road plans. The most recent one now includes an additional bus lane on the opposite side which was not there previously, which now will require even more extensive work than originally planned.”
The silver birch has become a focal point for opposition to the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), with business owners and residents staging a public protest outside That Coffee Place in May.
Following the protest, East Sussex County Council confirmed that the tree will be removed.
A spokesperson for the authority said: “A decision has been taken to remove the silver birch on Station Parade and plant a replacement tree in an alternative location.
“Removal of the tree is necessary to ensure the pavement is fully accessible following changes to the road layout as part of the East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) scheme for Upperton Road/Station Parade.
“Officers considered a number of alternatives during the design stage of the scheme to avoid losing the tree, but no other options were deemed suitable due to the risk of damaging the tree’s root system, the presence of underground pipes and cables, and the increase in costs.
“The bus priority scheme on the A259 along Upperton Road and Station Parade will build on the existing bus priority measures in Eastbourne town centre and improve journey times and support a more reliable service, enabling access to employment, education and other services in the town.”
The scheme forms part of East Sussex County Council’s wider Bus Service Improvement Plan, which aims to improve bus reliability and reduce journey times through Eastbourne town centre.
