Calls to support new village community hall and sports pavilion

Plans for a new community centre in Hadlow Down have been submitted to Wealden planners.

In an application to Wealden District Council, Hadlow Down Parish Council is seeking planning permission to build a new community hall and sports pavilion at the playing fields in School Lane.

The proposals include the demolition of the existing sports pavilion building, with a new modern building to be built in its place.

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In a design and access statement, a spokesman for the parish council said: “The facilities proposed under this application will effectively replace those currently provided for within the existing Village Hall and Sports Pavilion, albeit … with the requisite WC, changing facilities, welfare facilities and storage, commensurate with a modern community hall.

Existing village hallExisting village hall
Existing village hall

“Furthermore, the project will encompass the provision of parking facilities suitable for a building of its size and a complete range of access, parking, welfare and user facilities for disabled groups with specific mobility and sensory issues.

“The requirement is to create a more usable hall space which is not significantly larger than the original Village Hall, but which provides for a greater of flexibility in use … thereby enabling a wider range of activities to take place within.”

The existing sports pavilion changing facilities, the spokesman says, are considered to be out-of-date and means its use is severely restricted by some groups, particularly younger people.

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If approved, the building will also replace the current village hall facilities in Hut Lane. There is an existing planning permission to demolish the existing hall and replace it with a small residential development.

According to the application, the replacement hall will have a permanent stage area, a large store for chairs and other equipment, a small secondary meeting room and a kitchen.

The proposed design is also set to include a number of renewable energy methods, including solar panels on the roof.   

Hadlow Down Parish Council is asking village residents to write to Wealden planners and support the application.

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In a statement on its website, a parish council spokesman said: “It is crucial you, as villagers have your say.

“Please register your comments at the Wealden Planning Portal. This is a very important stage in the planning process and the outcome of the application will be hugely determined by the amount of local support provided.

“We need as many residents as possible to respond with letters of support.

“Our thanks to all of you who have supported the project to date, to view details of the project please visit our website www.newvillagehall.co.uk”

For further information see application reference WD/2018/2655/MAJ on the Wealden District Council website.

Huw Oxburgh , Local Democracy Reporting Service