Last month a decision was made by West Sussex County Council to scale down the proposed A259 scheme between Littlehampton & Bognor Regis before submitting the outline business case to the DfT. Due to inflation & other matters, the Cost to Benefit Ratio was not to a sufficient level for the works to be funded, so the overall scope of the scheme has been reduced, however no plans have been provided if other changes are proposed, although general designs may be available in the Outline Business Case.
The Outline Business Case is due in October 2023, and if approved, construction must start no later than March 2025, providing little flexible time between funding and construction. The overall scheme is important as the A259 forms part of the MRN, and even more so as the A27 Arundel Bypass has been deferred.
| Location | Original Proposals | New Proposals |
| Comet Corner | New Roundabout with active travel and bus priority measures | New roundabout with active travel and bus priority measures |
| Public Rights of Way 165 & 166 | New pedestrian traffic island | Dropped |
| Baird’s Business Park junction | New left turn lane into business park | Dropped |
| Oystercatcher | New roundabout with active travel and bus priority measures | New roundabout with active travel and bus priority measures |
| Between Oystercatcher and Church Lane | Nothing Specific | New active travel measures |
| Church Lane | Additional active travel and bus priority measures to developer’s roundabout proposal | Additional active travel and bus priority measures to developer’s roundabout proposal |
| Ferry Road | New roundabout with active travel measure | New active travel measures |
| Public Rights of Way 206 | New walking connection | Dropped |
| Clympwick Bridge | Active travel measure (new NMU bridge) | Dropped |
| Bridge Road roundabout | New left turn lane on Bridge Road approach and active travel measures | New left turn lane on Bridge Road approach and active travel measures |
| Wick roundabout | Removal of one arm of existing roundabout | Dropped |
| The A259 Corridor between Flansham Lane and Bridge Road Roundabouts (whole route) | Nothing Specific | New speed limits |
The report can be found here
