Have Your Say On Haywards Heath's Future

Friday, 23 October 2020 12:30

By Karen Dunn, Local Democracy Reporter

Haywards Heath (Map: © contributors to Open Street Map / Creative Commons)

Members of the public will be able to have their say on the Haywards Heath town centre masterplan during a six-week consultation in November and December.

The draft plan lays out the bare bones of long and short-term projects up to 2031 which are aimed at breathing new life into the town centre and helping it to thrive.

These projects include making the rather dreary and tired area around the railway station more welcoming by working on the road layout, bringing in better lighting and creating a ‘gateway feature’ such as public art.

During a meeting of the scrutiny committee on Thursday (October 22), members recommended that the document should be put out to consultation and made a few suggestions of their own.

Michael Pulfer (Con, Haywards Heath – Franklands), for instance, said the roundabout at the end of South Road needed looking at as it was ‘lethal’.

But Mr Pulfer was enthusiastic about the masterplan, predicting the work would see Haywards Heath build ‘a reputation to be the destination of choice in Mid Sussex’.

Details about how to take part in the consultation will be released shortly – but there were concerns from some that not everyone would be able to take part.

Due to the pandemic, the usual public exhibitions will not be able to be held and the consultation will be digital, complete with an interactive map on the council’s website.

Robert Eggleston (Lib Dem, Burgess Hill – Meeds) urged the council to ‘use every means possible’ to engage with people, adding: “This is going to be delivered digitally and via social media and that is going to mean that those who don’t access those vehicles potentially will miss out.”

He was assured that copies of the consultation would be available in libraries and in the council’s Mid Sussex Matters newsletter, which goes to every home in the district.

Once the results of the public consultation have been collated, the masterplan will return to the scrutiny panel in January 2021 before going to the full council for approval in March.

It will replace the current masterplan, which was adopted in 2007 but is no longer seen as being fit for purpose.

Clive Laband (Con, Haywards Heath – Heath) said: “The masterplan is an essential foundation block needed to support economic and social regeneration of Haywards Heath and it is up to the public – we need them to contribute and make certain we have a robust plan going forward.”