Skip to main content
Banner image for Huw Merriman

Huw Merriman

Former Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About Huw Merriman
  • News
  • Former Campaigns
  • Previous Campaign Responses
  • Newsletters
  • Contact
  • facebook
  • twitter

MPs welcome acceleration of safety upgrade to A21

  • Tweet
Monday, 3 August, 2020
  • Local News
a21

The group of MPs whose constituencies lie along the A21 have welcomed a new decision by Highways England to bring forward by five years comprehensive plans to upgrade safety along the route. The decision follows a meeting between the MPs and the Roads Minister in June in which the case was made to advance the works.

The upgrade will create consistent and standardised conditions along the single carriageway section together with improved pedestrian and cycling facilities.

In the Government’s Road Investment Strategy published in March the upgrade was not scheduled to begin until 2025 for completion by 2030.

Dissatisfied with this timetable, the MPs on the A21 route - Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells), Huw Merriman (Bexhill and Battle), Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge and Malling),  Sally-Ann Hart (Hastings and Rye) and Laura Trott (Sevenoaks) met with the Roads Minister, Baroness Vere of Norbiton in June to push for this to be brought forward.

Highways England have now announced a change of heart: they will now commence their route strategy process in the autumn, with the upgrades due for completion by 2025.

Greg Clark said: “As anyone who has driven along the A21 knows, once you get south of Kippings Cross large sections of the road are more like a narrow and windy country lane than the main route between London and Hastings. This makes journeys slower, more congested and more dangerous than they should be. The Minister’s decisive intervention, following her meeting with A21 MPs, is a big step forward A21 and is the latest step in our campaign to make the A21 into a safe, fast modern trunk road throughout all its length from the M25 to Hastings.”  

Huw Merriman said: “This is welcome news and I would like to thank the Roads Minister personally for intervening on this matter after hearing our case. These are absolutely essential road safety improvements for this key trunk road in our constituencies. I am pleased that they will now be brought forward for earlier completion. For village communities like Hurst Green and Whatlington, these improvements can’t come soon enoug. This extra investment should be a welcome step but we all know that dualling is the key to unlocking a better road and economic regeneration.”

Sally Ann Hart said: “This is good news for the residents of Hastings and Rye, and all those that use the A21 from Hastings to the M25. As many will know it not only requires further dualling, but more urgently it needs safety improvements all the way along. I am thrilled that the work of the A21 Reference Group has paid dividends already in this Parliament and we are seeing this work taking place sooner than planned. As a group we will continue to fight tirelessly for a better A21 for all our residents and businesses, but this is a good start and I look forward to getting more improvements to this road in the future.”

 

Attachments

Attachment Size
200730 Letter from Baroness Vere - A21 Safety Package.pdf (165.39 KB) 165.39 KB

You may also be interested in

Hurst Green A21 protest

Roads

Bexhill and Battle is connected to the rest of the country by two main trunk roads – the A259 (linked to A27) and the A21. Both these roads are managed by National Highways and are almost entirely single carriageway throughout the constituency and the rest of East Sussex. Major road infrastructure improvements are needed in our area if we are to create a safer road network and increase the flow of investment in jobs, businesses and housing in our community.
Huw's letterhead

Statement from Huw Merriman MP

Thursday, 23 May, 2024
After 9 years as the Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle, I have made the decision not to stand as a candidate at the next election. This means I will also leave my job as Rail Minister on 4 July. I have loved being an MP and I leave with a heavy heart.

Show only

  • Articles
  • European News
  • Local News
  • Media
  • Opinions
  • Reports
  • Speeches
  • Speeches in Parliament
  • Westminster News

Huw Merriman Former MP for Bexhill and Battle

Footer

  • About RSS
  • Accessibility
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • About Bexhill and Battle
  • About Huw Merriman
  • Campaign Responses
  • facebook
  • twitter
Promoted and published by Huw Merriman c/o 29-31 Sea Road, Bexhill on Sea, TN40 1EE
Copyright 2025 Huw Merriman Former MP for Bexhill and Battle. All rights reserved.
Powered by Bluetree