The current phase of the road maintenance programme is virtually complete. Just a few tidying-up and reinstatement activities remain. Our thanks to everyone for your understanding and patience while work was ongoing.

Monthly viewing statistics for this website in 2025:

The Downlands Estate road maintenance programme for 2025 consists of a large number of relatively small repairs including kerb maintenance, gulley repairs and patching. These maintenance activities are a fundamental part of our Preventive, Corrective, and Replacement measures and are based on advice received from Hailsham Roadways, our appointed contractors, who are experts in the field.  

Why is kerb maintenance so important? The kerbs form an integral part of the combined drainage systems, seamlessly incorporating gutters and drainage outlets, which together form a channel for surface water drainage. This is crucial as it helps prevent water ingress under the tarmac and subsequent frost damage; water ingress along the edges of the road is a major cause of tarmac disintegration. Maintenance of the kerbing is therefore a positive investment in the road network as it helps avoid otherwise earlier costly repairs and patching of the road surfaces.

During the current exercise, some kerbstones which were originally identified as requiring realignment rather than replacement, have proved to be in too poor a condition and have crumbled whilst attempting to realign. These have required replacement. 

Where necessary, the reinstatement gangs will attend to disturbed verges etc after the current phase of works is completed (end May/early June). 

At the AGM in March (draft minutes in the Library) we reported that 2025 would be a consolidating year as regards road repairs on the Downlands Estate. There will be a focus on a large number of relatively small road repairs rather than any major resurfacing activity this year. As planned, we have undertaken a review of the proposed works and have now instructed Hailsham Roadways to commence the works which consist of kerbing, gulley repairs and patching on a number of the Estate roads. The works will start on 6 May with a planned completion of end May/early June. Please take care when passing contractors on the roads and be prepared to give way/wait a minute or two if need be, before passing. Many thanks

Openreach are planning to undertake works on the A259 at the top of Friston Hill during the evening of Monday 28 April between 8pm and 6am Tuesday. There will be four-way traffic lights including a control on the exit from Windmill Lane. The work should only take a few hours.