Burgess Hill Uncovered

05/07/2024

Congratulations to Alison Bennett Liberal Democrat for her great victory to become the new MP for Mid Sussex.

Conservatives 2nd, Labour 3rd, Reform 4th, Green 5th, Monster Raving Loony 6th.

04/07/2024

The Exit Poll data for Mid Sussex is adjudged as 'Too Close To Call' but with a 64% chance for the Lib Dems to win the seat from the Conservatives.

If you're a tactical voter and were convinced by the Lib Dem 'Bar Chart Campaign' you may have chosen correctly.

26/06/2024

NewRiver's Annual report - released on June 21st - states the following about the Martlets Shopping Centre in Burgess Hill:

'𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩.'

Could that partner actually be Mid Sussex District Council - the freeholders of the site - whose Liberal Democrat administration will be desperate to get things moving?

The report goes on to say:
'𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙡 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝟴𝟵 𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚.'

'𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. '

What do you make of NewRiver's annual announcement on the Martlets for 2024?

Could Mid Sussex District Council be the Joint Venture partner that NewRiver Reit have referred to in their annual report?

25/06/2024

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘀 (𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗦𝗖𝗖)

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘹 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭:

The renovated site at Woodlands Meed College in Burgess Hill is now ready to be handed over to the school.

Recent progress on site means the multi-million pound development has taken significant steps forward in the last few weeks and pupils will soon be able to make use of a host of new facilities at the college.

The ambitious project, led by West Sussex County Council, provides new facilities such as a hydrotherapy pool, 12 new classrooms and a two-court sports hall for 100 children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The students will also benefit from new outside spaces for learning and play which will eventually include an all-weather pitch and an outside courtyard and amphitheatre where children can sit together and hold sporting and social events.

The site is now ready for pupils and staff to move into safely. The school will now determine the best time to move into the site based on educational needs and to minimise further disruption for students and staff.

Cllr Jacquie Russell, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Learning and Skills, said: "This is a crucial moment in what has been a very long journey to deliver new facilities at Woodlands Meed.

"We've faced many challenges and setbacks along the way, but it is important to now look ahead to the benefits this provision will bring to children with special educational needs and disabilities. We appreciate the frustrations of parents, pupils and staff and would like to thank everyone for their continued patience throughout this process.

"Despite the challenging nature of this project, we are ultimately proud of what has been achieved and know that these fantastic facilities will help children at Woodlands Meed achieve their potential for many years to come."

23/06/2024

Parents and friends of Woodlands Meed are still waiting for the new college building to be finished to a satisfactory condition and handed over to the school. The new site was supposed to be ready for occupation by the school over a year ago! Read the latest below.....

23/06/2024

Burgess Hill Marching Youth led the Summer Fayre Parade around St Johns Park on Sunday 23rd June 2024, featuring lots of children from a number of the local primary schools. Look out for the badgers 🦡 and foxes 🦊 !!!

19/06/2024

A Lib Dem cabinet member was unhappy with Burgess Hill Uncovered for posting a sole source of voting intention data which was used by lots of national news outlets yesterday. The data suggested the election was too close to call in Mid Sussex.

In an attempt to appease the cabinet member, here's a second source of vote prediction data from Survation, I hope this will satisfy......

18/06/2024

Ipsos have published their first MRP (multiple regression and post stratification) model of the 2024 General Election.

It has classed Mid Sussex as a 'Toss Up' with the Conservatives actually in front with a predicted vote share of 30%, Labour second with 28%, Lib Dems 25%, Reform UK 11%, Greens 5%.

Maybe the Tories should take a turn at making this into a bar chart and putting it through people's letterboxes!

Do you good readers think this will be the result after polling day?

17/06/2024

The guys at the Burgess Hill Classic Car Club have made their customary promo video for their free car show taking place at the The Woolpack on Sunday 7th July from 11am. This effort has a 'Grand Tour' and 'Clarkson's Farm' Flavour.

The car show on the 7th is free with trophies being awarded for the best cars. The tyre rolling and chamois leather throwing games will return!

More event details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/762975506030493

10/06/2024

03/06/2024

NewRiver Retail have successfully submitted their Construction Management Plan as part of the requirement to trigger the Martlets Shopping Centre planning application - along with knocking down a few canopies 🧐🤔🙄

According to their schedule, preparations for a mass demolition of half the centre will begin in September....but is this yet another false dawn?

Find out their proposed timetable and why all may not be as it seems here...

The the redevelopment of Burgess Hill's shopping centre finally going to happen, or is this yet another false dawn?

22/05/2024

HUGE update on Martlets Shopping Centre in Burgess Hill. You'll not believe how cheeky this is.....

08/05/2024

Should Burgess Hill Town Council be looking to cut their losses on the Beehive Project and sell off the land where the former British Legion building stood?

The Beehive hasn't been mentioned by the council for 12 months and was put on hold, but a recent line of expenditure in the council's accounts led to a question being asked by a resident at last night's meeting where Council Leader Peter Williams responded by saying that the council have a price that they could sell the land for!

Would the council have volunteered this information had they not been asked? We'd expect a Strategic Development Key Area Group meeting to be called promptly so that councillors and the public can scrutinise what's going on with a project that's cost £820k without a single brick being laid so far.

Full story linked in the comments below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

06/05/2024

Remember those proposed business pods for Batchelors Farm Nature Reserve? Well it's not happening anymore, but us mere residents should have known this from the start, apparently.

Deputy Leader Cllr Peter Williams tried to defend the council, but a member of his own party and numerous residents all piled in to say what they thought. A very bad day at the office for the leadership.

Find out who said what in our story linked below...

The residents labled the council as 'somewhat amateur' having 'no cohesion or professional strategy' over this whole debarcle.

05/05/2024

Breaking News - Andy Stowe INDEPENDENT has overturned a 75% Lib Dem majority to win St Johns Ward by five votes.

04/05/2024

Police are investigating after Burgess Hill Town Council have received three threatening letters over the past few months - the third of which has been published on the council agenda for a meeting this coming Tuesday at 7pm.

The letter in full - which lists a number of demands for the council to carry out to avoid displeasing the author, along with the suggestion they caused the resignation of the council leader - can be read here:

The police are currently investigating a series of threatening letters received by Burgess Hill Town Council- the third of which has been published for the public to read.

21/04/2024

The signage in Burgess Hill's Car Parks have been changed to reflect the 10% charge increase which comes into effect on Monday morning.

The discussion of the 8,000+ signature petition against the 'Park Hike' and the soon-to-be-introduced Evening and Sunday charges can't come soon enough......

08/04/2024

Lots of new vacancies have been added to the BHU Jobs page, which includes opportunities at WH Smith, Lidl, Vets For Pets, Boots, McDonalds, Turning Tides and more.....

A listing of full-time and part-time job vacancies in and around Burgess Hill. Got a vacancy? Tell us about it!

07/04/2024

On Thursday 2nd May, a by-election is taking place in St Andrews Ward for a seat on Burgess Hill Town Council.

The candidates have been revealed and are as follows:
🟠Jon Gardner - Liberal Democrats
🔵Kieran James - Conservative Party
🔴Rebecca Sinnatt - Labour Party
⚪️Ray Woods - Independent

St Andrews Ward takes in the north east area of Burgess Hill, with its western and southern boundaries being the railway lines to London and Lewes respectively.

Postal votes are due to be sent out on Monday 22nd April.
You get one vote.

At present, the political make-up of Burgess Hill Town Council is:
🟠Liberal Democrats x 14
🟢Green Party x 3
🔵Conservative Party x 1
⚫️Vacancy x 2

Please do exercise your democratic right! 😎

07/04/2024

On Thursday 2nd May, a by-election is taking place in the St Johns Ward for a seat on Burgess Hill Town Council.

The candidates have been revealed and are as follows:

🟢Elaine Bolton - Green Party
🔴Paul Mitchell - Labour Party
⚪️Andy Stowe - Independent
🟠Nelia Wallace-Hargrove - Liberal Democrats
🔵Liz White - Conservative Party

St Johns Ward is a small ward which takes in eastern end of Park Road, Firtoft Close, Mill Wood, southern end of Mill Road, Grove Road, Middle Way, Church Road, Church Walk, Cyprus Road, Crescent Road, Crescent Way, Crescent Close, Church Close.

Postal votes are due to be sent out on Monday 22nd April.

You get one vote.

At present, the political make-up of Burgess Hill Town Council is:

🟠Liberal Democrats x 14
🟢Green Party x 3
🔵Conservative Party x 1
⚫️Vacancy x 2

Please do exercise your democratic right! 😎

26/03/2024

Politicians fear bad press in the Mid Sussex Times, so it was fun to be a part of this to help put the pressure on.....

A group has submitted a petition to Mid Sussex District Council objecting to increased parking charges

25/03/2024

🚨🚨🚨There will be TWO by-elections for seats on Burgess Hill Town Council representing St Johns Ward and St Andrews Ward following the respective resignations of Town Council Leader Richard Cherry and Christine Cherry (both Lib Dems)

The elections will take on Thursday 2nd May 2024 at the same time as the Sussex Police Crime Commissioner Election.

It also means that Burgess Hill Town Council will need to choose a new leader.

An interesting 6 weeks lay ahead.....👀👀👀

Burgess Hill Liberal Democrats have announced that Cllrs Richard and Christine Cherry are to step down from Burgess Hill Town Council with immediate effect for personal reasons.

24/03/2024

Well over 2,500 signatures gained for the petition against evening and Sunday car parking charges in Burgess Hill and beyond. The petition is due to be delivered to the MSDC offices tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone who helped collect the signatures and to those who signed the petition.

Will we get the pause and the consultation that the public and all the Business Associations have called for?

🎉 A Heartfelt Thank You from Burgess Hill Together! 🎉

As we approach a pivotal moment in our campaign against the proposed parking charges, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the incredible support that has brought us to this point. Thanks to your unwavering commitment, we've surpassed our goal, gathering 2,800 signatures—far exceeding the required 1,300 to bring this matter before a full MSDC council for further scrutiny.

This achievement is not the final count; we are still compiling additional signatures, with more expected from Haywards Heath later this week. Furthermore, our efforts have been bolstered by the East Grinstead Business Association, which has also been collecting signatures in solidarity.

We extend our deepest gratitude to:

💚The local businesses that hosted our petition, demonstrating their invaluable support for our community.

❤️The dedicated residents who volunteered countless hours in all conditions, showing true community spirit.

🩷Our local representatives who stand with us against the parking charges and have been instrumental in collecting petitions.

💜Together, we've shown what can be accomplished with unity and determination. We will be submitting the petition tomorrow morning and closely monitoring MSDC's response in the coming weeks. We remain hopeful that our collective voice will lead to a reversal of the proposed charges.

For ongoing updates and to stay involved, please follow the Mid Sussex says NO to Evening and Sunday Parking Charges Facebook Group. Your support has been the cornerstone of our campaign, and we look forward to continuing this journey with you.

Together, we make a difference. 💪



Burgess Hill Business Association Burgess Hill Residents Association Burgess Hill Uncovered

24/03/2024

Lovely to see that Mims Davies MP is celebrating Haywards Heath Rugby Club's success in being awarded £250k from the Government's Levelling Up Fund. Mims is the President of the club.

Meanwhile, Burgess Hill still waits for a replacement shopping centre, community performance venue and has a long queue of sports teams awaiting upgrades to their facilities.

23/03/2024

If your motor vehicle needs a clean, why not head on over to Burgess Hill Fire Station at the Brow for their Charity Car Wash today from 10am-2pm

Today's the day! 🧽 🚗

Come along to Petworth, Selsey, or Burgess Hill Fire Station to get your car cleaned by the crew and support The Fire Fighters Charity.

📍 Selsey Fire Station: 9.30am-1pm
📍 Petworth Fire Station: 10am-2pm
📍 Burgess Hill Fire Station: 10am-2pm

11/03/2024

Dice and Drinks in Church Walk are carrying copies of the anti-evenings and Sundays car parking charges petition.

So if you want to 'fight the hike' pop in and help to make MSDC think again!

08/03/2024

At Monday's Town Council meeting, a resident asked:
𝗗𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘅 (𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹) 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝗦𝗗𝗖’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀?

Only one councillor said they disagreed with the parking hike and the introduction of evening and Sunday charges.

For a Town Council who were always so keen to see periods of free parking and even introduced a free parking offer of their own when making a purchase from the Market, their sudden U-turn on wanting initiatives to support the Town Centre Economy is staggering....but also not surprising now that their colleagues run the District Council.

Find out what was said by the three contributing councillors here...

Only one of the twenty Burgess Hill Town Councillors spoke up against the changes.

07/03/2024

Well, this certainly makes the Mid Sussex Parliamentary Seat contest a lot more interesting with Blur drummer Dave Rowntree standing as the candidate representing the Labour Party!

Could his inclusion on the ballot paper see more votes than usual go to the red team?

An election promo video across Mid Sussex's parks would be novel.

Labour candidate will stand in Mid Sussex against Conservatives who currently hold seat

06/03/2024

B&M have opened up applications for their first wave of vacancies.

They are hiring for managers and supervisors for Customer Service, Floor and Stock Replenishment.

Full list of vacancies at B&M and other businesses in Burgess Hill are available here: http://www.burgesshilluncovered.co.uk/jobs/

04/03/2024

Burgess Hill Town Council have a Police Van and two officers downstairs for tonight's meeting due to safety fears.