At the Full Council meeting of East Sussex County Council (ESCC) on 13th Oct 2026 backed a motion to safeguard the Uckfield-to-Lewes railway line amid pressures from housing developments and cycling route proposals. This decision by the full council we’ll have to be ratified by the cabinet as ESCC operate on a cabinet government basis. The Motion asking the authority (ESCC) to reaffirm support for reinstating the former railway line closed in 1969. The concerns surrounding the motion include:
- A major housing development proposed at the Owlsbury Farm site in Uckfield.
- Plans for the Lewes-to-Uckfield Greenway (a walking and cycling route) have been shaped around the assumption of a single-track railway rather than preserving room for double tracks.
The motion calls for:
- Protecting land for a potential future double-track railway, a future station, and an appropriate crossing near the A22.
- Requesting that Wealden District Council and project partners ensure any Greenway plans do not prejudice future rail reopening.
More information in the Sussex Express
The motion passed at the council meeting effectively supports the regional transport body’s proposals for improving rail infrastructure in the southeast. Transport for the South East (TfSE) has included the reinstatement of the 7-mile Lewes to Uckfield rail link (part of the historic Wealden Line, which closed in 1969) as a priority in its Strategic Investment Plan.
The motion supports Lewes Rail campaign for the reinstatement of the line.
Vic Ient, the organiser of Lewes Rail, said, “We support all forms of sustainable transport, which helps get vehicles off the road and onto a more environmentally friendly form of transport. As Lewes Rail said in its report, its proposal to the minister back April 2026—restoring the rail link could benefit hundreds of thousands of people from the areas on the south coast, like Brighton and Eastbourne, right through to residents in the Tunbridge Wells area. It would also provide a strategic alternative to transport to and from London when there are rail works or disruptions on the Brighton Main Line (BML). The line which goes north via Uckfield goes direct to East Croydon and not via Haywards Heath and Gatwick”.
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There is a lot of interest in the line from all points of view. Lewes Ralls’ YouTube videos surveying the route have drawn quite a lot of attention
- The latest survey of the rail link entitled ‘Lewes to Uckfield railway line aerial survey, Sussex England’ published on 30th August has had 2,500 views
- An earlier survey published on 1st April 2024 entitled ‘Lewes to Uckfield Disused Railway Line survey’ has had over 2600 views.