UPDATES FROM THE LEADER
 Councillor Peter Williams Leader of Burgess Hill Town Council |
Peter will be using these pages to provide regular updates on projects, issues and topical matters of interest to Burgess Hill residents. He can be contacted using the details published on the ‘Town Councillors’ page. |
The saga of The Old Post Office, Station Road – Leader Update 5
Since Royal Mail vacated their old and outdated post office in Station Road nearly 20 years ago, the building they left behind has had a rather chequered history.
In 2008, a planning application was received by Mid Sussex District Council to construct 14 flats plus commercial units across the whole site, which included the old sorting office building at the rear and the parking area next to it. The application was approved but no progress was made and permission lapsed in 2011.
Meanwhile, it became possible for Signposts (Mid Sussex) Ltd, a registered charity that caters for persons with learning difficulties, to take on a lease of the main building. They took up residence in November 2009, re-named it ‘The Old Post Office Resource Centre’ and were joined by number of other service providers, including Summerhaven Mental Health and Asperger’s Voice.
All was quiet until late 2017, when estate agents, Clifford Dann, were instructed to place the entire site on the market with potential ‘for residential development’. It remained thus for almost three years until, in November 2020, the site was finally acquired by a property developer for £1.5 million. All the occupants of the building, having been pre-warned of the impending sale, were required to move out and find other accommodation. Nothing was heard about the plans for the site until August 2023, by which time it had become a derelict eyesore.
A planning application from the developers, Plot 102 Ltd, was received by Mid Sussex District Council on 1st August 2023. This is a proposal to construct a 5-storey block of 41 apartments and 4 Class E Commercial units, based on the concept of sustainability. It includes the provision of 48 cycle places, 2 car parking spaces and 2 spaces for disabled vehicles with very limited vehicle access.
Burgess Hill Town Council has wanted the Old Post Office site to be redeveloped for some years but when this application came before our Planning Committee on 20th October 2023, it very quickly became apparent that the proposed building was wildly out-of-keeping with the rest of Station Road, not only in its sheer size but by the fact that there was such restricted vehicular access to the building.
The Committee consequently recommended refusal, as the proposal contravened a number of District Plan and Design Guide categories (DP26, DP31, DG21, 32, 39 and 40) and a decision was made to ‘call in’ the application i.e refer it back to Mid Sussex District Council’s Planning Department for further consideration. At this moment in time, September 2024, Mid Sussex District Council has entered a second consultation period but no revised plans have yet been received.
Rest assured, Burgess Hill Town Council is very keen to see these issues resolved and to welcome a new phase in the life of the Old Post Office site. If you want to see more of the plans, please use planning reference DM/23/2008 at the Mid Sussex Planning Portal: pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications/
Market Place Shopping Centre – Leader Update 4
The building that is the Market Place Shopping Centre is approaching 35 years since construction started and it is beginning to show its age, at least in those areas that are unseen by the public. Recent events in 2024 have highlighted the problems… Read more…
Risk Assessments – Leader Update 3
There has recently been much misinformation about the use of risk assessments and whether they can be overridden if they are an inconvenience the public. This is an opportunity to clarify what a risk assessments are and the purpose of them.
Reed more…
Network Rail’s new ‘D-poster’ site in Keymer Road –
Leader Update 2
In the Spring of 2024, there was much activity by Network Rail’s contractors to clear away the old wooden poster board site, perched on the embankment near the bridge in Keymer Road, opposite the railway station. It was in a state of disrepair, with rotten timbers making it unsafe for traditional pasted posters to be affixed to the boards. Besides, this was a labour intensive operation, time consuming and using lots of paper in the process.
Wivelsfield Station finally has funding for long-overdue modifications – Leader Update 1
On 24th May 2024, the Department for Transport announced that Network Rail would be receiving a total of £350 million from the abandoned HS2 northern leg funding reallocation, to be used to progress the ‘Accessible for All’ national project.
‘Accessible for All’ will provide new access…Read more…