FEEDBACK from the community will help to guide the way future improvement work in Uckfield town centre is undertaken.

As part of a two-day public exhibition at the end of June, residents and traders submitted comments on various aspects of the scheme.

The next phase of improvement work, which will affect the High Street between Bell Lane and Church Street, will include pavement widening, new street furniture, ‘smart’ traffic lights and planting to help mitigate flooding.

A total of 332 consultation responses, plus feedback from Uckfield Town Council and Uckfield Chamber of Commerce, have been received by the Scheme’s project board.

“We are grateful for the comments received. We wanted to give the public the opportunity to ask questions and give their views on the possible traffic management arrangements for implementing the highways work in the High Street,” said a spokesman for the project board.

“Those attending the exhibition, as well as business and community leaders, were asked what the time limit on the High Street parking bays should be and how many disabled bays should be included.”

The works are expected to start in January 2016.

The project board spokesman said: “We recognise that disruption is inevitable with a scheme of this scale, but we want to minimise that disruption as much as possible by working with the local community on solutions and maintaining good communications with local businesses.”

Comments received will be published on the East Sussex County Council website as soon as possible. An analysis of the comments will then be reported to the Uckfield Town Centre Regeneration Joint Committee – which looks at the wider plans for the town.

The joint committee is expected to put forward recommendations to East Sussex County Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Environment in September when the final decision on the highways element of the scheme will be made.