New Mid Sussex Centre for Outdoor Sport

Work is underway to provide a new 9-hectare Centre for Outdoor Sport to the west of Burgess Hill.

In March, Council Cabinet Members were presented with an initial Feasibility study and draft Masterplan, which outlined the range of sporting facilities that could be built to the south of the A2300 in Burgess Hill.

The Feasibility Study, which has been drawn up in consultation with national sporting organisations including Sport England, the Football Foundation and the Rugby Football Union, shows that there is enough space for multiple sports pitches, community pavilions, changing facilities and dedicated parking on the site.

The next stage will see consultants work with local sports groups, and the wider community, to develop detailed designs and ensure the views of all potential users are considered. Feedback from the local community will help to shape the plans over the next 12-months, with the aim of obtaining planning permission in 2023 and opening first class sports facilities to the public in 2025.

A2300 opening

New sports pitches and community facilities for Haywards Heath

In March we awarded Colwell Ground CIC £1.4 million in Section 106 developer contributions to support the delivery of new sports pitches and a community building near St Francis Sports and Social Club in Haywards Heath.

The ambitious £8 million project aims to deliver three all weather sports pitches, suitable for hockey and football, alongside a new community centre that features a changing rooms, a café, museum, nursery and accessible toilets.

If you'd like to find out more about the proposed new sports and community facilities at Colwell Ground then please visit https://colwellground.org.uk/ and share your views using the handy online survey.

Globally recognised cultural and creative consultancy to advise on Clair Hall site

Following a competitive tendering process we have appointed world renowned BOP Consulting to explore options to provide financially viable modern community facilities at the Clair Hall site.

Having recently worked with a hugely impressive list of clients including local government authorities, the Arts Council of England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and UNESCO all within the creative industries sector, BOP Consulting are well placed to review current market conditions and provide evidence-based advice to help identify opportunities for the future of the Clair Hall site.

BOP Consulting have been appointed following a competitive tender process. The invitation to tender document they submitted their bid against is available for all to review on the Clair Hall Engagement hub site at https://engage.midsussex.gov.uk/clair-hall.  Hit the subscribe button on the engagement hub website to be kept informed of the latest news on the future of Clair Hall.

Clair Hall vaccination centre licence extended

We've extended a licence for the NHS to use the Clair Hall site in Haywards heath as a Covid-19 vaccination centre.

The NHS has been vaccinating local residents against Covid-19 at the Clair Hall site since December 2020 and has delivered over 190,000 jabs so far. The licence extension will enable the NHS to continue delivering this and other important health services on site. The new licence will run until February 2024.

GP Federation, Alliance for Better Care, has been running the vaccination programme at Clair Hall on behalf of local GP practices. The team aims to make full use of the space available and is now working with practices to provide extended primary care services from the site, alongside its ongoing vaccination provision.

The use of Clair Hall as a vaccination centre is a temporary measure and we are working with industry experts BOP Consulting to explore all the options for providing new sustainable community facilities on the site for the benefit of local residents. We have agreed an evidence-based approach to look at how modern, multifunctional community facilities could be delivered on the Clair Hall site and this work is unaffected by the extension of the licence.

Northern Arc – Progress update

2022 is a big year for the Northern Arc development in Burgess Hill as the project moves from the planning and infrastructure phases to the first residents moving in to their new homes. Countryside Properties have almost finished the first phase of homes at Oakhurst on the Freeks Farm site, and expect to welcome new residents in early summer. All of these first homes are Affordable Housing – which means they’re either for Affordable Rent or Shared Ownership. Access to affordable housing at the Northern Arc and across Mid Sussex is managed through the Mid Sussex District Council housing register. 

Homes England is expecting the determination of Bellway’s Reserved Matters planning application (search DM/21/3870 on the MSDC planning portal) for a further 241 homes and an extension to Bedelands Nature Reserve.

All homes at the Northern Arc will be built with sustainability in mind, with Homes England’s developer partners using sustainable and renewable materials, finding efficient ways to minimise carbon emissions during construction, or making sure they’re providing homes that will be low-carbon to run for the families who live there. Visit the Northern Arc’s web page for more information about Modern Methods of Construction. 

Jackson is making great progress with the Western Link Road, which will join Jane Murray Way to the A2300. The road is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2022, and once complete will unlock access to development plots in the west of the site, including new homes, the employment hub and the Centre for Outdoor Sport.

Homes England expect to have some more exciting announcements about the next steps of the project soon – if you’d like to be the first to know, you can sign up for email updates

Shop Local and Support Mid Sussex

Pop to the Shops is our latest campaign, funded by the Government’s Welcome Back Fund, to encourage residents to support our local shops with a clear message that this is good for our community, our economy and the planet.