A Brief History of the Egrets Way Project

The people who, in 2011, initiated what would become the Egrets Way Project were not the first group of local residents to join forces to identify a safe cycling route which would connect Newhaven, Lewes and the villages in between. In 2004, an earlier attempt by members of the POLO (Parishes of the Lower Ouse) group to create a ‘Greenway’ running alongside the C7 Lewes to Newhaven Road had foundered when no achievable route could be identified.

However, in Autumn, 2011, three significant events occurred which encouraged members of those same communities to try again:

·       the Environment Agency announced its intention to continue to maintain the flood defences of the river in the Lower Ouse valley,

·       the Government announced substantial funding for sustainable transport plans, and

·       the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), created in 2010, came into operation.

Following public meetings, held for the purpose of measuring support for the project, a constituted organisation was created, officers were elected, a Steering Committee was formed and the project eventually known as the Ouse Valley Cycle Network (OVCN) came into being. A great deal of work then began to identify a route, locate relevant landowners and meet with representatives of organisations with shared interests as well as engaging with the public through parish council meetings and attendance at local events. By the end of the year, the group had joined forces with a working party from the Kingston Road and Cranedown Residents Association and the Kingston Action Group, both of  which had long been exploring the possibility of creating an off-road cycleway connecting Kingston and Lewes.  

At the same time, Sustrans had been commissioned to carry out a feasibility study and to identify a potential riverside route running from Newhaven to Lewes with branches extending to Kingston, Rodmell, Southease and Piddinghoe. What followed was a process which has been repeated many times over with the project taking shape as opportunities arose and funding was secured.

In March 2012 the initial route to be constructed was identified (Kingston to Lewes).  Sustrans was appointed to manage the project, the landowners gave their consent for access to their land, operating funds were raised from local sources, planning permission was sought and granted following public consultations, and the required funding was raised from local and central government sources. The Kingston to Lewes path was officially opened in September 2013.

In 2013, the project Steering Committee decided to apply for charitable status and so adopted a new constitution and became a registered charity in January 2014. This enabled us to apply for major funding which was only available to charitable organisations and to proceed with the process of planning what would become the network of multi-user paths known as The Egrets Way.  The stated purpose of the network has always been:

To create a network of safe, largely off-road multi-user paths linking the towns of Lewes and Newhaven with the villages in between.

To date, the segments of the network to be completed are:

·       Lewes to Kingston (2013)

·       Southease to Rodmell (2014)

·       Southease Bridge to Chapel Barn, Piddinghoe (2016)

·       Linklater Pavilion to Ham Lane, Lewes (2020)

·       Piddinghoe to Riverside Park, Newhaven (2023)

The construction of the latest section, Ham Lane to Rodmell, has been beset by difficulties caused by inclement weather which has caused construction to be stopped on several occasions.  However, the final work is scheduled to begin in August, 2024 and the path surfacing should be completed by early October.

Planning of the final section of pathway, running between Chapel Barn and the northern entrance to Piddinghoe, is currently underway.  Because this path involves landowner agreements as well as interaction with the C7 road north of Piddinghoe, it is expected that the engineering works involved will take a considerable amount of planning, design and review which makes it difficult to forecast a potential opening date at this time.

Capital funding for the network construction has been largely secured and administered by the South Downs National Park Authority. Funding has been provided by organisations too numerous to list here.  However, major sources have included the South Downs National Park Authority and Lewes District Council CIL funding, the Department for Transport, National Highways, and East Sussex County Council as well as many other charitable organisations and individuals.

Once the funding for each phase of construction has been secured, SDNPA officers have managed the awarding of the construction contracts and then worked in conjunction with the contractors and various local government agencies to deliver the individual projects within budget and in accordance with the agreements reached with the relevant landowners.

Funding of operating expenses has also come from a variety of local and national sources, including the Chalk Cliff Trust, the Sussex Community Foundation, the Chapman Charitable Trust and the Lewes District Local Lottery.

But it has to be recognised that none of the progress described above would have been possible had it not been for the many local landowners who have generously consented for the sections of path to be built on their land.

Right from the beginning, the success of the project has been, and will continue to be, based on these critical factors:

·       Cohesive planning and active support from Steering Committee members,

·       Consent from relevant landowners,

·       Successful collaboration with and between our key partners, the SDNPA and Sustrans, as well as many others including the Environment Agency, East Sussex Highways, Lewes District Council and, most recently, National Highways,

·       Funding secured for both capital and operating requirements, and

·       Ongoing and consistent support and cooperation from local residents.

If you would like to learn about the origins and history of the Egrets Way project in more detail, please look through the Annual Reports which are published in full below.

and

It should also be mentioned that, during the years occupied by the planning and construction of the Egress Way Network,  several new multi-user paths have been constructed in the Lower Ouse Valley and made available for public use at the instigation of the individual landowners.  These can be seen on the Egrets Way Project map at:  www.egretsway.org.uk/route.

Annual Reports

 ‘ESCAPE ROUTE’  Egrets Way Video 2013

When the Egrets Way project got underway in 2011, our time was largely devoted to identifying the route, obtaining landowner and planning consent and securing funding for the first sections of path to be constructed.   We also spent considerable time engaging with local people to make them aware of the project and secure their support.  

One of the early project supporters, Roger Ordish, a retired BBC television producer, offered to make a video about the project which could be used to inform members of the public and potential funders. The original video was updated in 2013 and this is the version you see here.  While now dated, it remains a useful reminder of the original thinking behind the ongoing Egrets Way project.