New plan for town centre

Uckfield residents and businesses are working together to draw up an alternative to the Tesco plan for redevelopment of the town.

And in a preliminary study a company has shown how the supermarket could have the 85,000 sq ft store it wants, and provide the town with a new road system, without digging into the Luxford Field and car park.

The idea envisages a new store stretching over the existing Tesco footprint and taking in the present Tesco car park with new parking beneath the store ... but above the flood level.

The existing access from Bellfarm Road to Tesco would be upgraded and extended to run past the side of the building, then around the back of the store, past the Civic Centre and out to the High Street along Civic Approach.

Emerging traffic would be directed up the High Street, leaving it possible to pedestrianise the stretch of road between Civic Approach and Bellfarm Road.

Resident

The proposal was explained by Uckfield resident Mr Martin Eastwood to members of the town's Chamber of Commerce at a meeting at the Newick Park Hotel on Wednesday. It has already been presented to Wealden Council.

Mr Eastwood is mechanical and electrical manager for Earth Tech Engineering of Haywards Heath, a company he described as having international clout, working with a background knowledge in 'concrete, steel and nuts and bolts' with many areas of expertise relevant to this project.

What he would like to do next, he said, was to get together with architects and planners to drive an alternative to the Tesco scheme forward. The idea he presented was simply drawn up, he said, to demonstrate that it would be possible to find an alternative.

He was invited to speak by Chamber president Mr Adrian Corbin, who said he feared that if Uckfield didn't seize the opportunity to get development in the town it would go somewhere else. He thought there was enough expertise in the Chamber of Commerce to draw up a plan which would attract a developer and prove to be viable.

Mr Corbin said he was 'seriously worried' about the town council's attitude as expressed by mayor Cllr Barrie Murray at the Chamber's March meeting. 'There is a "sell Luxford Field over my dead body" type attitude,' said Mr Corbin.

Elderly

'I feel that attitude is quite prevalent among the more elderly residents of the town, they like things to stay as they are. My understanding of any town is that things don't stay as they are, they either get better or worse.'

Mr Corbin said he didn't want development to go elsewhere because that would be competition. 'One wants the other place to fail so we can succeed. If Uckfield is not attractive enough for people they will go elsewhere.'

But Mr Corbin said the Tesco plan requiring removal of 5,000 lorry loads of soil with its 85,000 sq ft store and 900 space double deck car park 'which you would be able to see from Lewes', was not the answer.

'I have a feeling we could come up with something more sensible. I personally feel Uckfield needs some open space in the centre. I also know from a retail point of view that a town is better if there are bigger units available to attract a bigger and wider variety of retailers.'