Clair Hall closure plan ‘a huge blow’ says The Mid Sussex Arts Society

The possible permanent closure of Clair Hall in Haywards Heath has been described as a ‘huge blow’ by The Mid Sussex Arts Society.
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Last month Mid Sussex District Council agreed to remove Clair Hall in Perrymount Road from its leisure contract with Places Leisure.

At the time senior councillors noted the venue had been losing money for some time and was currently unviable to operate due to current social distancing restrictions.

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Officers are now proposing permanent closure and a decision is set to be made by cabinet members on Monday, September 14.

Clair Hall in Haywards HeathClair Hall in Haywards Heath
Clair Hall in Haywards Heath

Su Shephard, community arts volunteer for the society, said: “It has come as a huge blow to our already despondent mood regarding our arts societies’ future of not being able to continue with our monthly art lectures there.

“Our committee has been in the dark not knowing when Clair Hall would reopen since the company who ran it locked its doors and disappeared.

“We decided to take matters into our own hands and were in the throws of hoping to join forces with all the other societies, groups and fairs that use the hall.

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“We wanted to raise a petition to present to the council to modernise the washrooms and loos before hopefully it reopened.

“We all realise that we are not allowed to meet up for the time being, so to have remedial works done now whilst the building is closed seemed sensible.

“Little did we guess the council had other more final plans for Clair Hall which have already been discussed without consulting the community who use the venue.”

Plans to close Haywards Heath community venue permanently

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Su pointed out that Clair Hall was gifted to the residents of Haywards Heath to be used as an educational centre.

She added that the discussion and decision by the council to permanently close the hall has happened too soon.

“It gives us hardly any time to present our petition to the council to either keep Clair Hall and ask for it to be updated or provide us with a viable alternative to accommodate 300 people in a lecture hall, Covid notwithstanding,” said Su.

She said residents would benefit from a new arts centre, similar to the The Capital in Horsham.

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“If Clair Hall closes and is not replaced, Haywards Heath will have nothing left except a few mediocre chain restaurants and a cricket pitch,” added Su.

“In my opinion, it would be preferable to have a smart new venue and I think most people would agree. What we don’t want is to be left with nothing.”

Su continued: “There has been so much development in the vicinity, so it would be nice if the council started thinking about what the people of Haywards Heath want as opposed to the developers.

“An exciting new art centre could provide a raft of cultural events and craft activity courses, as does The Capital in Horsham, which will attract more people and more income.

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“It would also provide social interaction for people, much missed at the moment, but this should not be overlooked but taken seriously as mental well being is paramount.

“The arts are good for our health, and our council should be aware that this has been proved by many experts.”

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