Day centre to expand

LUXFORD Day Centre, which lost its old building in a deal which brought Tesco to Uckfield, finds itself in the supermarket's takeover sights once again.

But this time it is pressing on with its own expansion plans.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the charity holds its sixth annual meeting in the former library premises on Luxford car park and is billing it as the last chance to see the old library building unaltered.

Plans will be on display showing a scheme costing in the region of 140,000 to build an extension the full length of the building on the western side which will create half as much floor space again as is in the hall at the moment.

The agents working on behalf of Tesco's proposed redevelopment in Uckfield are buying up 'option' rights to land in the town and day centre chairman Ken Cunningham said the charity had been approached about their building.

Councillors

'But we replied to them that when there is planning permission, when councillors have agreed, that is when we will listen to them. We don't see any point in doing it before.

'This is so much pie in the sky at the moment and there is a long way to go before anything can happen. We own the day centre and if we end up having to sell to some developer a long way down the road, so be it, but we would rather not blight the existence of the place for the next 10 years. We have to go on,' said Mr Cunningham.

The old day centre used to be housed in a pre-fab building which was sited in the area of the wide steps which lead down from a footpath, running along the bottom of the Luxford car park and field, to Tesco and the Civic Centre.

'That was owned by the town council but we lost it as part of the deal to get Tesco and the Civic Centre,' said Mr Cunningham.

The day centre members met for a time at the Civic Centre but that wasn't suitable for their needs and when the library building became available a major fund raising campaign was launched in the town to buy it.

Now a grant from the Community Fund, set up through the National Lottery, and a grant from the Harry Tyler Trust, established in Uckfield to benefit the elderly and the young, mean that the day centre can expand.

Mr Cunningham said people would be welcome to look at the plans during the annual meeting tomorrow at 11.30am.

Sliding doors will connect the new space with the centre's existing hall.