PARISH COUNCIL NEWS – February 2025: Community Safety and Traffic Committee. This committee met in January and welcomed one of the members of the A267 Road Safety Group (RSG) to discuss the concerns on traffic speed and dangerous road junctions on the A267. They would like to increase membership numbers and promote awareness of their campaign to make the road safer. (See their Facebook page and article on ITV’s Meridian on 13 January 2025). There are three dangerous junctions between Mayfield and Heathfield that need safety improvements: A272/ A267, Mayfield Flat Cross-in Hand opposite the petrol station. The Parish Council has discussed the possibility of a roundabout or traffic lights at the junction of the A272/A267 with East Sussex County Council on numerous occasions but have been informed that it is too costly. The requirement to purchase land to widen the roads to allow for additional lanes for turning traffic was also a factor that they informed would be necessary. One of the aims of the RSG is to reduce the speed limit from the Mayfield roundabout to Horam to 40mph (excluding Five Ashes, already 30mph) to make it less confusing to drivers. Currently there are speed limits of 30, 40, 50 and 60mph within this Parish. Our thanks go to the RSG for organising the cleaning of the road signs along the A267 and to the Deer Warden for installing deer warning signs at known crossing points. Community Speedwatch (CSW): Please contact the Parish Council office if you are interested to train and help our CSW group. With additional volunteers, sessions can be arranged more often to monitor traffic speed in Mayfield and Five Ashes. Below is an update received in January 2025. There are currently eight trained members of CSW. Four sessions have taken place so far – two in each village. 32 vehicles were exceeding the allowed limit out of a total of 894. A letter from the police is received after the first report of speeding. If a vehicle appears on any parish CSW list twice they receive another ‘reminder’ letter. If they appear a third time they are visited by the police and may be cautioned. The data is held centrally (by registration number) so it is the incident of speeding not the location of the speeding offence that is relevant. Speed indicating devices: The below data from our devices currently installed in Five Ashes covers the period from 10 November 2024 to 08 January 2025. Residents may be surprised to learn that 93.85% of the vehicles were recorded travelling below 35mph, the speed at which would incur a traffic penalty. There has been a slight decrease in those travelling at 35mph and above year-on-year. Percentages Nov to Jan 2025 Nov to Jan 202. Nov to Jan 2023. Over 30mph 28.73 27.88 27.74. Over 35mph 6.15 6.99 6.27. Over 40mph 1.29 1.68 1.34. Over 45mph 0.29 0.38 0.57. Temporary road closure warnings: As informed previously, information on roadworks can be found at Causeway One. Network. You can access the map using this link: https://one.network. Then you need to search the area you are interested in. There is detailed information on road closure orders, the specific location of road works, what they are for and timings.
Vandalism at Court Meadow: Sometime at the beginning of January some fires were set underneath the benches of the green shelter near the entrances of Pre-School and the Primary School. After this, on a different occasion a fire was lit in the litter bin beside the same green shelter. This has obviously caused damage and has been reported to Sussex Police who have informed they will add it to their areas to patrol. The cost of repair will be ascertained. It is a very worrying occurrence as there is a link between setting small fires as an adolescent then going on to commit arson on a grander scale. If you have any information at all on the perpetrators it would be very useful so they can be educated on the impact it causes.
New Bus fares for 2025: Good news! Bus fares across East Sussex will continue to be lower in the new year thanks to funding from East Sussex’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). Across the nation, a £3 bus fare cap was introduced on 01 January 2025, that meant the maximum fare for a single bus trip would be limited to £3. However, thanks to BSIP funding from the Department of Transport, East Sussex County Council is introducing lower single adult fares of £1 and £2. The new lower fares will ensure passengers will pay less than £3 on a number of journeys, with some trips being cheaper than they were in 2024. Under the East Sussex BSIP fare reductions, short hop trips will be capped at £1, with medium length rides costing £2. Longer journeys will be £3 under the new national fare cap. Children’s fares will be even lower, with short journeys starting at 50p.
DEVOLUTION: Sussex Councils’ expression of interest to devolution priority programme: The Cabinets of the three Sussex upper tier Councils, East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council, have agreed to submit an expression of interest to be considered for the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme indicating support for a Sussex Mayoral Strategic Authority which could unlock new money and powers for the region. If the Government accepts the initial proposal for Sussex to join the devolution priority programme, the Government will run a consultation to obtain residents’ views. The Government’s White Paper set out in detail the key areas that a strategic authority would be in control of to drive growth and provide support on shaping public services. These include: Transport and local infrastructure. Skills and employment support - Housing and strategic planning -Economic development and regeneration -Environment and climate change - Health, wellbeing and public service reform. Public safety. The expected timeline following the submission of the proposal is: A devolution consultation would be held before the end of March 2025. The results of the devolution consultation will be assessed in the Spring 2025 following which a Ministerial decision will be taken as to whether to proceed with a Mayoral Strategic Authority (prior to unitary re-organisation). The Spending Review will then confirm future mayoral investment funds for new mayoral areas. relevant legislation will be laid before Parliament in relation to the creation of Strategic Authorities. In March 2026 notice of mayoral elections will be given for a Mayoral election in May 2026. A decision whether to move to a Mayoral Strategic Authority under the reorganized arrangements would follow. There will follow a separate process of Local Government re-organisation. A formal invitation to submit reorganisation proposals will be issued to all authorities in January 2025. At the end of 2025 and in early 2026 Ministers will consider unitary proposals and delivery phasing with statutory consultations being undertaken on the first tranche of proposals. Timelines for the remainder of the reorganisation process will be subject to the proposals received. More information can be found at: https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/devolution/devolution-hub/devolution-explained.
MCC Update: February 2025: We can confirm that the full planning application was submitted to Wealden District Council (WDC) Planning Department just before Christmas and that it is now listed on WDC’s online Planning Cases’ register. The planning application reference number is WD/2024/2958/MAJ. Comments on the application have until 14th February 2025. Interested parties are therefore invited to review the application and express their views during this period. It is important that as many people as possible make their opinions known, whether in favour or against, as comments are relevant in the planning application process. As mentioned in the previous monthly update, the project is now in RIBA stage 4, which involves the detailed specification of everything pertaining to the project and defines such things as the colour of the walls, type of flooring, location of power sockets etc. This work is expected to be completed by mid-March 2025. Providing that planning permission is successfully granted by WDC’s Planning Committee North at its March 2025 meeting, the contractor (appointed for the Design & Build stage of the project) will then obtain formal competitive quotations from the various sub-contractor work packages. In parallel, any building conditions that WDC might have as part of the planning approval will be addressed. These will enable the final project cost to be obtained. Given acceptable quotes, the main contractor will be officially appointed. Contract placement should follow in early June. The building contractor requires a month to mobilise which means the significant first ‘spade in the ground’ would occur in mid-July although this timeline is dependent on the above schedule.
WADHUST FARMERS MARKET: Thank you to everyone who visited and supported the market today. It was great to see you and weren't we spoilt for choice! Tasty food and drink, fabulous clothing, knits, art, crafts and giftware. See you again next month, Sat 15th March! The Saturday 15th February market was fantastic, thank you everybody who turned up. We are going from strength to strength. We shall be continuing in our regular timing on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the Wadhurst Commemoration Hall in the centre of the village, on the High Street. You can enjoy a morning browsing, doing your weekend shopping with our friendly traders and then exploring our high street with its successful independent shops, cafes and pubs. With 30+ stalls and growing our regular and guest stall holders provide tasty artisan and award-winning food and drink, plants, homemade soaps, ceramics, fruit and vegetables, meat products, clothing, knits and textiles, art and craft, household essentials, Bric a brace, pet supplies and much, much more. We were excited to welcome @winterdalecheesemakers joining us for a regular monthly slot this year with their award-winning cheeses. Meet them in person (and try their cheese at the next market. Wadhurst has had a chartered market since 1253 when Henry III graded a charter to hold a market every Saturday and a fair on 29th June, the feast of St Peter and St Paul. This always causes some debate as Wadhurst is a village but also a market town because of the charter!
TN22 CLUBS – WEALDEN LUNCH and SOCIAL CLUBS for OLDER PEOPLE: Our Plus Club has been quiet on here lately - but only on Facebook, not in reality! During January our two sessions were as lively as ever! During our first meeting in January members were treated to not just one musical performance but two! Our old friends the Revelators came along in the morning to play a great selection of 50’s hits which certainly got toes tapping. After lunch we had another fun filled session with Suzanne from Dementia Singing Experience, Sussex - her visits are always guaranteed to be fun. As you can see from the photos there was a distinct Scottish feel to the session. Our second meeting focused on a bright, colourful day talking about all things floral and arranging some fabulous displays. Members joined in with a craft session decorating wooden flowers. After lunch we had a visit from Heather from @music4health - always great fun with her rhythmic plastic plates (you need to be there.) TN22 Plus Club caters for those with mild to moderate dementia, helping them to socialise and take part in stimulating activities in the form of crafts, gentle exercise, music and conversation. Care and companionship are paramount and we have an excellent ratio of volunteers to members. We run fortnightly on Wednesdays in Hadlow Down Village Hall from 10.30 until 3.30, a hot nutritious meal is provided at lunchtime. To find out more about the club, volunteering opportunities or to book a taster day please call Wendy Coleman on: 07961 450357. Alternatively you can email us at: info@tn22clubs.org Also if you have some spare time on your hands, maybe you would consider volunteering with us? We welcome offers of help both within the club and also driving to collect and return members who do not have transport. Again, if this is something that interests you please don’t hesitate to contact us - your help will make a huge difference to the service we provide.
MAYFACS
HOUSES of PARLIAMENT VISIT: Nus Ghani was pleased to welcome MAYFACS to the Houses of Parliament. She said: “I often catch up with our fantastic local charity, Mayfacs, in the constituency, but it was lovely to welcome them to Westminster for a change and show them around Parliament. There are several ways Sussex Weald residents can take advantage of the unique experience of exploring the beating heart of our democracy. Please get in touch with me if you're interested in arranging a visit.” Thank you so much Nus Ghani for welcoming our Mayfacs SHED group to Westminster yesterday! They had a fantastic time and really appreciated your time in showing them around!
EAST SUSSEX HEARING: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month East Sussex Hearing will be running drop in sessions at the MAYFACS London House office between 10.30am - 12pm to support Hearing Aid Maintenance for our community. Please do share this information with anyone who may benefit from having support locally for their Hearing Aids. We are so happy to be able to work with East Sussex Hearing and provide the venue for their services. For more information please contact them directly on: 01323 722505 / 07950 855580 or email: mail@eshrc.org
FILM MATINEES: MAYFACS Matinee Films continues at Five Ashes Village Hall. Doors opening at 1.30pm, film starting at 1.45pm. Admission is £6 on the door, with an interval for tea and cake! Our Minibus will be picking up from Mayfield as follows for £3 return journey (no need to book, just turn up at these stops):Memorial Hall 1.10pm St Thomas of Canterbury 1.20pm Our Matinee films are open to everyone - bring a friend or two, or come on your own and enjoy a relaxed afternoon film at Five Ashes Village Hall. The full programme until end of March 2025) is available from our MAYFACS office, so please come and collect one and plan your Fridays accordingly!
MEN on the MOVE: Our 'Men on the Move' are out and about, exploring the walks in the area. Every Tuesday, this FREE 'walk and talk' group meets at 9.30am at Court Meadow, Mayfield. Do come and join them! All ages welcome. Funded with thanks from East Sussex County Council and Wealden District Council
PAINT and SIP EVENING: Thank you to everyone who came to our first Mayfacs Paint and Sip evening at the stunning The Middle House with Eleanor Ross, artist and designer, leading us in painting a stunning Georgia O'Keeffe inspired picture. Such a relaxing evening. Thank you also to Hannah Wareham for helping all night. We will be holding more Paint and Sip events so please follow us for the next date! And remember, these events are for everyone and are raising funds to support our services within the community.
MOVING SOUNDS: MAYFACS are incredibly excited to announce six special music and movement sessions led by Movingsounds and funded by Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council starting in February (full dates:) March 19, 16 April, 21 May, 18 June,18 July. These sessions will be free to attend! But places are limited, so book asap to avoid disappointment! They will be taking place at Colkins Mill Church in Mayfield, East Sussex. To book your place, please contact us on: 01435 873888 or freya@mayfacs.org.uk
JUMBLE SALE; Jumble sale, 1st March at Five Ashes Village Hall. 10am – 12 noon Entrance 50p. Helping support Poppy Neve and Elysia Dear attend Camps International Cambodia in July. Drop off Friday night / Saturday morning. Refreshments available.