Residents and visitors to Stanmer Park will soon benefit from smoother, safer access as major road resurfacing work gets underway.
The busy access road through Stanmer Park, which is in desperate need of repair, will close next month as reconstruction and resurfacing work takes place – welcome news for motorists, bus passengers and cyclists.
Work is due to start on 14 October and is expected to take five days.
To improve the road surface, specialist contractors will dig up the original road before recycling the existing stones and tarmac with a binder as a base and resurfacing using traditional asphalt with a high recycled content.
During this time, the road will need to be completely closed, which means access to the park will be severely restricted.
Traffic management and marshalling will be in place to control traffic, allow access for residents and staff, provide emergency access and ensure public safety.
Limited car parking for visitors will continue to be available in the Lower and Upper Lodges, and Chalk Hill car parks.
The Stanmer Park access road is on a bus route, the 78 which will drop off at the main entrance during the works, and has more than 80,000 vehicle movements each year. This has taken its toll, which is why the road is in urgent need of repair.
Originally made from flint and chalk, the road, which is classed as a bridleway, has historically been patched with various overlays of asphalt. Over the past two years, the council has spent more than £40,000 patching it up and filling in potholes.
The much-needed rebuilding and resurfacing work, which will cost around £400,000, is being funded from the council’s capital funds, along with revenue from car parking changes.
Councillor Alan Robins, Cabinet Member for Sport and Recreation said: “I’m delighted that, following decades of patching up, we have been able to fund this long-overdue road resurfacing at Stanmer Park. It will make a huge difference for residents and all park users.
“When parking changes were introduced back in 2021, a commitment was made for that money to go towards managing, improving and maintain the park, so it’s great to see this in action.
“After a hugely successful National Lottery funded renovation project completed last year, it’s great to see Stanmer Park finally getting the access road it deserves. It’s the icing on the cake for this much-loved city park.”
For more information visit the Stanmer Park webpages.
