Lottery board rejects Rother's Egerton Park bid

More than two years' of planning and consultation plus 44,500 worth of project work-up grant aid from the lottery board has gone into a project which at consultation stage received overwhelming public support.

The rejection is in stark contrast to last week's news that Rother is receiving 1m under the Government's Sea Change programme towards the 5.1m Next Wave seafront project '“ which, ironically, does not have the same public support.

News of the bid's rejection prompted an emergency meeting on Wednesday between Rother officers, Cllr Deirdre Williams as cabinet portfolio holder for social, culture and tourism, and the Society of Bexhill Museum and the Friends of Egerton Park as project partners.

The Friends of Egerton Park were founded as a vehicle for attracting grant aid.

Cllr Williams said after the meeting: "Obviously, there was deep disappointment because so much work has gone into the project.

"But we were fairly upbeat. This is not the end of the road. We are not going to give up. We will have to look for other funding elsewhere. We are determined not to be pessimistic but whatever funding we manage to get will not be all in one piece."

Of the range of tasks identified in the project study and public consultation, disabled access is among the priorities.

A major task which must also be undertaken is the dredging of the park lakes.

However, it is obvious that other key elements of the project may now have to be cut back or phased.

Earlier, the council parks development officer Rebecca Owen had announced on the Rother website: "Disappointing news was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund in relation to funding for the next stage of the EPIC project.

"Due to the volume of applications, the HLF was unable to make a grant for the outline masterplan to be further developed and implemented.

"Other opportunities to undertake improvements to the Park are currently being explored."