We were delighted to meet so many people at our drop-in sessions and hear feedback, thoughts and ideas about our vision for Clair Hall.

The information and imagery below sets out what was shared at the sessions. We are committed to sharing our progress transparently with our community so please note that at this stage, this information presents the evidence, our potential ideas, as well as details of a potential timeline.

1. The vision

2. The existing facilities

3. The research: refurbishment

4. The research: a new facility

5. The headlines

6. The approach

7. The approach

8. Timeline for delivery

9.Initial thoughts

10. What the new Clair Hall could look like

We were delighted to see and talk to so many members of the community at our first drop-in sessions at Clair Hall on Thursday (31 August).

The sessions have been organised to share our ambition for the future of the venue, as well as sharing evidence gathered from cultural consultants regarding the financial feasibility of options for the site.

Evidence shows that the 1970’s building has reached the end of its life, but that there is a significant need for a flexible, multi-use space that meets cultural and community needs in Haywards Heath, now and for future generations.

The proposed vision would see a new mixed-use cultural and community venue built on the site with a provision for some residential housing as a way of affording the facility. This won’t be easy to deliver but we are committed to exploring the potential. We know that as we progress the community will be keen to ensure that the scheme has the necessary guarantees and that no work would commence on site until clear deliverable plans for a new building are in place.

We are also committed to exploring the long-term community involvement in running the site by way of establishing a Trust model.

Come along and find out more about these ideas, see the vision in full, share your feedback, and ask questions. The next drop-in sessions that are being held on:

Thursday 7 September

• 2.30pm to 3.30pm
• 4.30pm to 5.30pm
• 6.30pm to 7.30pm

For those unable to attend the sessions we will be sharing full details and imagery over the coming weeks with the opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas – watch this space!

We are pleased to announce that we have recently secured the appointment of Montagu Evans, one of the UK’s leading property specialists to lead us through the next phases of our work on the Clair Hall site.

There is no doubt that we are in a challenging financial climate. With current high inflation costs and the volatility of market conditions creating significant risks to investment in cultural facilities the ability of interested parties to secure the necessary funding is severely hampered often making schemes unviable.

However, our goal remains to secure a cultural anchor tenant who can deliver a cultural and leisure offer for the whole of the Mid Sussex Community now and in the future, in a modern fit for purpose venue on the Clair Hall site and we believe that the appointment of Montagu Evans, who have partnered with creative consultant, Augarde Consulting provides us with the best chance of success.

The invitation to tender document used to engage Montagu Evans is now available on the engagement hub site, in the reports section, and we will provide further updates in the new year as work progresses.

The final report following the investigation into the investment options at the Clair Hall site is now available to view in the reports section on the engagement hub site.

This report is due to be discussed along with BOP's final report, released last week onto the hub site, at a meeting of MSDC's Cabinet on 17 October

The final report by BOP, MSDC's lead specialist advisor, into the future of the Clair Hall site is now available to view on the engagement hub in the reports section.

This report is due to be considered by MSDC's Cabinet on 17 October.

The Clair Hall interim report, to be reviewed by Cabinet when they meet on 18 July, along with the lead advisors interim report have now been added to the engagement hub site, in the reports section.

These reports summarise and share the key information and learnings so far and proposes the next phase of work

Further to the second Clair Hall Members Steering Group meeting, Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards has again released a video message to update Mid Sussex Communities on the progress of work on the Clair Hall project.

 Ahead of the release of the Clair Hall Cabinet papers on Friday 8 July (which you will be able to access here : https://tinyurl.com/35mzdtak) Councillor Ash-Edwards has confirmed that

the Steering Group has developed and proposed a set of success criteria for the project and some non-negotiables, including that the site would not be sold, and that the Council would require it to be self-funding.

 You can view the full video message here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVd9I-A5e5c or in the videos section on this site.

As you may be aware from the Property Report released last Friday 30 June (which you can access along with the individual condition surveys under the 'Condition Surveys'), we have learnt that the buildings are currently at end of life and will be costly to repair.

However, the specialists highlight that the site has some clear strengths: It’s a good size, is in an attractive position and has excellent transport connections nearby. This isn’t a surprise as we know that both the location of the buildings and Clair Park are immensely appealing and well-known by the community.

The interim report of BOP, the Council’s specialist advisors in the creative and culturally economy, will also be included with the Cabinet papers and we will share these on the hub shortly.

The Council has now completed a major piece of work on the Clair Hall site, the collection and evaluation of the site’s property information.

Undertaken by independent specialists the property report shows that the buildings on the site are dated and unappealing, are inefficient to run and require significant repair and maintenance costs.

The report also highlights that the site has some clear strengths: it is a good size, in an attractive position and has excellent transport connections nearby.

The property report is now available to view in the reports section and the individual survey reports will be available on the same site from next week. Also, we are on track to present the Interim Report to the Cabinet for their consideration at the meeting on 18th July.

Please keep your eye on the site as all the latest news and information will appear in the Engagement Hub.