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Vote over town centre makeover
4:06pm Wednesday 21st May 2008
Residents will be asked to vote about a town centre make-over after pressure to call a referendum.
The Haywards Heath Referendum Group called for the poll because they were dissatisfied with the way Mid Sussex District Council has handled the drawing up of the town's masterplan.
It will ask the public if they think the town centre redevelopment plans for the Oaklands site and the station quarter should be halted until better information about the proposals is available.
David Hill, the chairman of the group, said: "We support redevelopment of the town centre. What we are concerned with is that proposals are being pushed through by a very small number of councillors with undue haste.
"We're seeking to put the matter on hold until the people affected have all the relevant accurate information and can form a judgement."
The group has distributed leaflets to more than 10,000 homes in Haywards Heath entitled "Sleepwalking Into Disaster?" and have written to Mid Sussex District Council chief executive John Jory.
The leaflet claims under existing masterplan documents there are no firm plans to replace the theatre Clair Hall. It says that new offices proposed at the station site are not viable unless the council moves from the Oaklands campus, which it owns, to the new offices and pays £1 million a year in rent.
The group says the whole redevelopment is being driven by preferred developer Thornfield Properties.
Sue Seward, the deputy leader of the council, said: "There is no doubt that there is overwhelming support for the upgrading of the station quarter in Haywards Heath and this aspiration has been expressed very clearly on many occasions by the people of the town.
"Currently, the station area is an eyesore. The revitalisation of the site will improve the quality of residents' lives and enhance their environment.
"As one of the landowners, Mid Sussex District Council is keen to ensure the needs of the community are met by any development on the land, with the re-provision of Clair Hall, Age Concern and improved car parking levels a priority.
"We are talking with Haywards Heath Town Council as the costs of such a poll will have to be met by them and are likely to be several thousand pounds.
"There has been extensive consultation with local people during the progression of the station site project and we will continue engage with local residents both before and after a planning application is submitted."
For more information on the Referendum Group, visit www.haywardsheaths-referendum.com.
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Barbara, Haywards Heath says...
1:13pm Fri 23 May 08
I agree with Brian Hargreaves comments wholeheartedly but would go further. If the council entered into a genuine dialogue with the electorate then perhaps the referendum would not have been requested. Also, if Councillor Seward is suggesting that this is a waste of tax-payers money, she may find herself on sticky ground, as I would remind her of the council's recent record regarding looses of nearly £270,000 on the Big Culture Show, the £1.7 million loan taken out to pay for the new bins (an additional £100,000+ cost from the original estimate!) and of course their latest fiasco of spending £130,000 of our money on car park ticket machines that do not work properly, still do not give change and have resulted in the retailers in the town loosing business. Time and again the Council are criticised for poor communication in official reports but seem to ignore these comments, which is why in the last Audit Commission report they had gone from being in the top 25% performing councils when it came to customer satisfaction to being in the bottom 25%.
If councillors have any sense they will use the referendum to re-engage with the electorate and to take on board the publics' views to come up with a scheme for the town that we can all be proud of - enhancing the town while still retaining its market town character and heritage and showing that they have remembered that they are there to serve the public.
Peter, Haywards Heath says...
6:46pm Sat 24 May 08
Andy, East Grinstead says...
10:52pm Sat 24 May 08
Even though 96.3% of voters voted 'NO' - voting against the mass housebuilding scheme being peddled by the District Council Leadership in partnership with one set of developers - the Cabinet still maintained that 'the town wanted' their project.
Its striking that the futures of the three Mid Sussex towns of Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and East Grinstead have been amd continue to be dictated by Councillors with no interest in the towns but who represent villages.
Only after Cllr Christopher Hersey was forced to resign from the Cabinet last year after the massive losses of the 'Big Culture Fiasco' were exposed has there been anyone in the Cabinet from any of the towns.
Cllr Seward claims that she has support for her plans for Haywards Heath - does she have any evidence to support this claim
At least a Referendum in Haywards Heath will answer this question. If that costs about 12p per resident that might be seen as rather good value.
Certainly better value than the propaganda sheet - Mid Sussex Matters - the Adminstration uses in a vain attempt to persuade the District's residents that the Council is there for the benefits of residents not developers.
Cllr Seward says, ""As one of the landowners, Mid Sussex District Council is keen to ensure the needs of the community are met by any development on the land.... ", But because the Council is a landowner with a direct financial interest in this development going ahead, it's position as planning authority is at risk of comprise.
One might expect a responsible Council to ensure that to avoid this risk the discussions on the matter would be fully aired on the Council Chamber. That surely would be the honourable approach. But not so for MSDC, where a review of minutes of meetings where decisions were made shows that all too often the Cabinet (ab)uses rules to exclude the Press and Public.
With the Council's finances in such a mess the Administration seem desperate to sell off any land assets they can, only to fritter the proceeds away to balance their current expenditure.
The Administration of MSDC display an almost pathological fear of putting their schemes to the residents for approval.
The arrogance of this Cabinet knows no bounds, as it seems, they believe they have the right to impose these schemes on residents and take no notice of local Councillors' advice.
No wonder they are held with such contempt across the District. And no wonder the Council's satisfaction rating is plummeting.
neil, haywards heath says...
9:25pm Mon 26 May 08
how exacltly will the station development improve quality of life and enviroment. does cllr seward live in the real world or work for a living or just hide in the chambers
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brian hargreaves, h h says...
7:49pm Wed 21 May 08
Perhaps The Argus could submit a request to the Mid Sussex District Council and the Mid Sussex Town Councils to enquire as to at what cost the Local Planning Authority and other Officers under their employ have been assisting and promoting this development? Perhaps if the Members and Offices of the Council(s) deigned to consider the wishes of their electorate (some would say employer) they would recognise that investing a few thousand to consult and listen to their views isn't a lot to ask. Or perhaps Thornfield could dig deep and pay for it, after all they are committed to consultation, aren't they?????