Todays Town Council meeting heard good progress is being made on the loan application for the Beehive with a decision expected in about a month and proposals to update the Help Point. The first meeting in person since Covid was also a chance to say thanks to Tony Parris and his thirty years of work with Burgess Hill Lions Club, fundraising for needy causes and indeed to thank all Lions for the work they do.  A presentation and gift was given by Burgess Hill Mayor Anne Eves.

Pleased that the new walking and cycling between St Wifrids Road and Wivelsfield Station is now open. This is part of the Place and Connectivity Programme which by the end of the year will see six miles of safe, direct and attractive routes around Burgess Hill much of it now completed. Details of the Green Circle, the series of footpaths, cycle tracks and bridleways in and around Burgess Hill can be found here.

Thanks to Sheddingdean Baptist Church for organising a ‘Community Act of Remembrance & Tree Planting’ which took place outside Sheddingdean Community Centre, which was an opportunity to give thanks to those who worked through the pandemic to support our local community, not least the staff at the Co-op themselves. The tree was donated by the Town Council with the aim of having a lasting memorial. Candles were lit to remember those who had suffered a loss of a loved one or been impacted in some other way by the pandemic..

A public engagement and consultation programme has been belatedly launched for the future of Clair Hall, nearly a year after the Conservative Council voted to close it, and after it was taken to court by a group of Haywards Heath residents, during which it was found that the Council acted unlawfully, and therefore was forced to reconsider the decision. 

This was after the Council’s failure to properly consider the strong opposition to the closure of Clair Hall, and to engage with the approach by residents interested in taking over the management of the hall to enable it to continue as a performance venue.  The Council has form here give it previously closed the Martlets Hall in Burgess Hill and failed to support any replacement provision.

The Council ‘s press release launching this new consultation pointedly talks of the Clair Hall site rather than the hall itself, and it was clear when I asked a question at Wednesday’s Council meeting, that whilst not ruling out reuse of the hall, the administration is looking beyond that at the future of the whole site. 

Independent consultants have been engaged at a cost of £19,800 (!) to management the process.  However, I hope this becomes a real second chance to save the hall, and therefore residents in Haywards Heath and beyond now have the opportunity to engage with the twelve week consultation, and take Conservative councillors at their word, that they will act on the consultation.

Heavy showers are having an impact on our roads so take care, flooding and drain covers blown out (this one by the entrance to Worlds End Park on Valebridge Road), and flooding in Freeks Lane and nearby houses in Dumbrills Close, as well as the previous mentioned flooding at Wivelsfield Station. Some of these issues are just the effect of heavy rain, no doubt made more extreme due to global warming, but it also highlights shortcomings in drainage infrastructure which needs to be remedied, and the need to plan for and build in more resilience to extreme weather. A particular issue is the poor drainage in Freeks Lane which has to cope with water flowing down Mill Road and swamping householders in Freeks Lane itself, local County Councillor Stuart Condie is pressing West Sussex County Council to take action to remedy this.

Flooding on Leylands Road at the west side of Wivelsfield Station has been a longstanding issue, with accumulated water after heavy rain leading to commuters being drenched as they walk along Leylands Road towards the station, due to spray from vehicles, indeed accumulated water has at times topped the pavements. A key cause has been water flowing from a spring that develops after heavy rain on the south side of the road but now the new paths just being completed under the Place and Connectivity Programme channel increased water volumes to this point.

A new culvert on the south side of Leylands Road has been excavated as part of the current works, but it appears the drains under the Leylands Road have been left untouched. This may be why the two parallel road drains on Leylands Road are currently blocked (which I have reported) and with the recent rainfall the road is currently flooded. I have asked for urgent clarification on how this additional drainage will be managed to resolve this problem.

Ernest Kleinwort Court in Oakenfield closed in 2018 and has been left unused since, despite being a modern purpose-built residential facility built with charitable funds, I have raised concerns about the delay in reusing the site with the Disabilities Trust and have been told that proposals for the site will be brought forward shortly – I look forward with interest to see if promises that the site would continue to provide services for people with complex disabilities are met.

Pleased that after I raised the issue, that the District Council has clarified with the contractors to ensure the footpath through Marle Place is kept open as far as possible whilst the current work takes place, they have apologised to those inconvenienced when it was closed off over the weekend.  The route will need to be closed again this coming Wednesday morning until mid/late afternoon to allow for the final surfacing to be made. I understand the Council has reminded the contractors to ensure that clear closure signs are put in the appropriate places so people can divert before reaching the point of closure. The work is taking place to increase the width of the path and is part of the Place and Connectivity Programme to improve foot and cycle paths in the town.