UCKFIELD
This column will now include Buxted, Nutley. And Maresfield in its copy any organisation wishing to promote their event please contact: melbutch160@gmail.com
UCKFIELD TOWN MAYOR:
“Thank you to all the volunteers who turned up to help Tom, our wonderful ranger, and me plant just over 300 summer bulbs at Mallard Pond. It will be a beautiful display. The ground staff are going to plant meadow seed on the other side of the pond and lay a chalk path at the side. We are so lucky as a Town to have such wonderful green spaces and despite only being a five-man team, our ground staff do an amazing job in looking after them all including our nature reserves and all our sports pitches. Thank you.”
UCKFIELD FOOD BANK:
“I was humbled today to be invited alongside Mims Davies MP to visit Uckfield Foodbank. With over 70 volunteers the Foodbank support hundreds of people in our town and surrounding villages. Talking to two recipients of food vouchers, once again it reminded me how close we all are to finding ourselves in a position where we don’t have enough money to cover our bills and food and how that situation can spiral out of control so quickly. It doesn’t matter how ‘educated ‘ we are, what ‘good jobs’ we have , circumstances can change in a blink of an eye and none of us should judge those that need our support. The work that Lorraine and her team do at the Foodbank is more than a lifeline. Lorraine works with her clients to signpost to other organisations to find ways to support them and help them to positively move forward. Please consider donating when you next go shopping, check out the app and see what is needed. Your donation and the work of the foodbank volunteers saves and changes lives. Thank everyone to everyone for all you do, Karen.” https://uckfield.foodbank.org.uk/
UCKFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - THANK YOU:
On the day when our networking breakfast focused on Net Zero 360 it was apt that we were the proud sponsor of the inaugural #Uckfield Upcycling Fashion show brilliantly organised by the Uckfield Town Mayor and Uckfield Town Council held, of course, at the The Civic Centre Uckfield… Ian joined an esteemed judging panel of Jade Earley of BBC’s Sewing Bee fame, Bobbi owner of Love-Coco Boutique and James owner of Sew & Sew Haberdashery! It was a tough ask to select the winners… Well done everyone…
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BREAKFAST MEETING:
Had a fantastic morning at the networking breakfast at Hendall Manor Barn last Friday! It was great to hear from so many different businesses and connect with inspiring people. We really value being part of the Uckfield Chamber of Commerce such a great community for business and growth!!
CONSULTATION ON PROPOSED MASTER PLAN: for development at Owlsbury, to the West of Uckfield. Fairfax Homes are holding a public consultation both online and in-person for a site at Owlsbury, west of Uckfield. A public exhibition is taking place on: Today Fri 28 February from 3.00pm to 8.00pm Sat 1 March from 10.00am to 1.00pm at The Civic Centre Uckfield. The masterplan proposes to deliver up to 1,700 new homes including 35% affordable and a range of community facilities including open space, play areas, a local centre with amenities (shops and community space), mobility hub, sports facilities, community hub, primary school and allotments. If you can't make the public exhibition there will also be an online consultation open from 28 February to 14 March 2025 at: http://owlsbury.com There has been much comment on this scheme. If you have views, either for or against – or if in fact you have hardly heard of it, do go along and see for yourself what is planned.
OWLSBURY FARM, LITTLE HORSTED:
Environmental group SABRE hopes local people will join its campaign to prevent the development of more than 1,700 new homes on land at Owlsbury Farm, Little Horsted. The site is on the western side of the A22 with current access from the A26 from Uckfield to Lewes. A public exhibition will be held at Uckfield Civic Centre on February 28 from 3-8pm and March 1 from 10am-1pm. SABRE says land traders of the Owlsbury Farm Development, Fairfax, are now moving their proposal (first considered in 2023) forward. But campaigners cite lack of infrastructure, remote location and conflict with national planning policy. Fairfax states some new homes will be affordable and the scheme will be served by a local centre with amenities such as shops, community space, mobility hub and shared working areas. It would also offer later living accommodation, cycle and pedestrian connectivity and a primary school with early years provision as well as community allotments. A company spokesman says: "We would like to share our ideas and hear the views of the local community and interest groups." SABRE encourages everyone to attend and write their opinion in Fairfax's consultation book. They go on to say: "It came to light in 2023 that an ill-considered proposal was in preparation to try and extend Uckfield to the other side of the A22. It was listed as a ‘reserved’ site on the Regulation 18 draft Local Plan in 2024. This would be in addition to the already one-third built 750 home Ridgewood development. An emerging planning application now proposes 1,700 homes in addition. These would be built at Owlsbury Farm, Little Horsted on a site of 370 acres. “The development would be in an unsustainable location and cause unacceptable loss of carbon-storing agricultural land that has never been previously developed outside any development boundary. The proposal would create substantial harm to the character and environment of this part of the Low Weald Landscape Area. "The site should not be allocated on the Local Plan because it is remote and disconnected from Uckfield with its centre some two kilometers from the railway station and even further from main town facilities and services. The site is huge and extends into open countryside. It is not determined by good Town Planning according to need. The Ridgewood development opposite this site and other sites already have permission to build hundreds of houses. We need more homes but Owlsbury Farm is not the answer. The road network cannot take this level of increase in traffic. There are already problems with water and sewage for housing in Wealden that have not been resolved, especially in areas close to the rivers such as the River Uck. And proposed developments are seen as conflicting with national policy, local sustainability goals, and the principles of prudent land use. "They would also have adverse impacts on natural habitats, ancient woodland and biodiversity. The site contains pockets of Ancient Woodland and priority habitat deciduous woodland. It would also affect sensitive water courses (River Uck) leading to the River Ouse, ghylls and irreplaceable habitats. It would damage biodiversity including protected and other fauna.”
CAPTURING YOUR VIEWS ON A MAYORAL COMBINED COUNTY AUTHORITY for SUSSEX:
East Sussex County Council are currently consulting residents on plans to create a combined authority for the whole of Sussex. The new Mayoral Combined County Authority would be led by a Mayor elected by you in May 2026 as well as representatives from East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove. This follows the UK Government publication of the English Devolution White Paper in December 2024. At this early stage, we can't be sure what this will look like and how existing county and district services will be shared and located underneath this structure. But what we do know is that County and District Councils are committed to continue delivering services and day to day service provision will remain as normal during this period. Parish and Town Councils don't feature in the devolution proposals but may be asked to provide or support the delivery of some facilities or services further down the line. For now our role will focus on communicating key consultations and information to you, as we receive it. Please take a look and provide your feedback on the questions being asked about the top tiers of local government at this early stage in the process. https://www.gov.uk/.../con.../sussex-and-brighton-devolution
DEMAND FOR HOUSING INCREASES:
Wealden District Council says demand for housing increases in Wealden. ‘The recent addition of 387 new affordable homes across the district in 2023/24 provided much-needed relief to some residents, but the need remains high. Despite recent efforts by Wealden District Council to expand the availability of affordable housing, many families and individuals remain on the waiting list, struggling to find suitable accommodation and the demand for housing in Wealden has risen by 81% in the last two years. Households in temporary accommodation in Wealden have increased by 300% since 2020. This increase highlights the growing need for affordable housing in the district to meet demand from Wealden residents and reduce the risk of homelessness. In April 2023 there were 717 households on the register, this number rose to 1071 households by 1 April 2024 and now currently stands at 1298 – an 81% increase from 2023 to 2025, reflecting the escalating shortage of affordable housing in Wealden. Councillor Daniel Manvell, Alliance for Wealden (Labour Party) and lead councillor for Housing, Benefits and Revenues, said with high mortgage interest rates, soaring private rents, and the ongoing cost of living crisis, many residents are struggling. “We have seen a rapid increase in the number of people on our Housing Register in the last two years. Demand for affordable housing far exceeds availability and we are determined to do all we can to help. We are pleased to have secured 387 new affordable homes across the district last year and to have increased the number of new social homes being let from 10 years ago, - one of only 42 councils out of hundreds of local authorities to do so. We want to do much more to ease the housing crisis for our residents, so we are also lobbying government to give us the financial certainty and freedom to invest in building many more social homes at genuinely affordable prices.”
NEW ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOP OPENS:
Lovers of mid-century design, paintings, jewellery, art and crafts in Uckfield will be delighted to hear a new shop has opened its doors - offering a huge selection of just about everything. Village Artisan Community is the name of a new business in Post Office Court just off the High Street. It's run by Jill Wedge, a former journalist who's turned her attention to finding the things she, and thousands of others, find beautiful and interesting. On sale will be works by local artists, craftspeople as well as vintage items including fashionable mid-century furniture from the 50s, 60s and 70s. She said: "I've some fabulous G-Plan units at the moment - I'm looking forward to showing it off."Jill started her working life in journalism, passing her NCTJ exams, working on the Maidenhead Advertiser as well as other local papers then moving into PR. She said: "I did all sorts of things including selling Tupperware. All these were necessary to keep a roof over our heads." In the meantime, as well as her artistic interests, she's always had a 'side hustle' and four years ago started up the popular Crowborough Pop-Up Market which takes place on the first Saturday of each month. She says she has about 250 makers and sellers, lots of whom will be providing items for the new Uckfield shop. She said: "I have stallholders coming back time and time again. But I always said wouldn't it be nice to have a shop. I do lots of fairs which means going to places, unpacking all my goods for sale then packing up the unsold items when I've finished. It will be great to have somewhere I can display items for a little while longer!" Jill continued: "I'm not only selling vintage items, there will also be new things as well. We have a textile artist, three jewelers including one who makes decorations out of old silver cutlery, handicrafts and newer things like bags. I'd also love to hear from local craftspeople and artists who want to sell what they have created or painted. Please if this is you, get in touch on: 07941 115029.
EAST SUSSEX WRAS:
East Sussex WRAS is in the unique position of having dedicated ambulances to support the work of the volunteers and staff across the region who assist and help the wildlife across our county. The ambulances carry a variety of equipment, from ladders, various nets, stretchers, first aid kits, dog graspers, swan hooks, and much more. WRAS ambulances have been involved in numerous rescues including helping to deal with a seal trapped in a nuclear power station, an albino deer with its antlers caught in a rope swing, a badger stuck in a disused swimming pool, a fox trapped in a drain, a bird caught up on a chimney, birds flying round inside a house, run over hedgehogs and much more. In order to improve the care and limit the stress to wildlife casualties, WRAS decided to set up its own hospital and in 2010 we managed to bring together all the care to one site based near Hailsham. The charity has slowly expanded and improved the facilities and handles up to 300 casualties at any one time from hedgehogs to foxes and deer to a wide variety of birds. Additionally, as we are close to the sea, we often support the rescue of seals along the coast. The hospital has a treatment room, used by our registered vet, an orphan rearing area, education room, pens and aviaries. WRAS also has a number of sites across the county where it does the outside rehabilitation of casualties. These include aviaries and pens of various sizes at Burgess Hill, Uckfield, Lewes, Eastbourne and Lower Dicker. In 2023 the charity deal with almost 6,000 casualties and received thousands of calls to our rescue line. Our rescuers are all volunteers and funded by our generous supporters. A number of WRAS’s volunteers, also help with the rehabilitation and over wintering of hedgehogs in runs and hutches in their gardens at home.