Developing community facility options for the Clair Hall site

This week, Mid Sussex District Council is launching meetings with developers interested in the Clair Hall site. These briefings will set out our ambition: to establish a community cultural facility that delivers benefits for local residents. In February, the appointment of a new cultural provider marked another key milestone, and further details about their plans are available in our 17 February update below.

What we are seeking from a developer

We are seeking developer proposals that can realise a new cultural facility while ensuring the project is both viable and sustainable for the long term. Achieving viability will depend on integrating residential units into the development, which is expected to create much needed homes. These discussions are crucial for communicating, our and the community’s priorities, and giving developers the opportunity to clarify requirements as they prepare their bids. Our ambition is to secure proposals that not only deliver a high-quality community facility but also adopt designs that are in harmony with their surroundings, enhancing the character and cohesion of existing developments in the area.

Enabling comprehensive plans for the site

To facilitate the proposed cultural and residential development at Clair Hall, we have published a Section 123 Notice regarding the intended disposal of a modest area of open space on the site's perimeter. This is a necessary step to enable developers to submit comprehensive proposals for the entire site, incorporating both community and housing elements. We are clear in our expectation that developers will maintain landscaping and greening standards in their plans, in line with the quality of other local developments. A plan can be inspected at the reception desk at the District Council offices (Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath) or by emailing property@midsussex.gov.uk or phoning 01444 477577. The section 123 notice went into the local paper on 26 March and 2 April. The deadline for responses to be sent to property@midsussex.gov.uk is 12 noon on Friday 24 April.

Next steps

We anticipate appointing a developer in the autumn of 2026. Once selected, the developer will collaborate closely with the District Council and our newly appointed Cultural Operator, to develop plans reflecting our ambitions for the site. The planning process will include opportunities for local residents to engage on the proposed designs and provide feedback before any final decisions are made by the relevant committee.

Following the decision made at Cabinet on 29 July, we are eager to move forward with developing a cultural facility. To achieve this, we plan to go to the market and offer the land as a key component of the project. We are inviting proposals from developers and potential operators, asking what additional features—such as residential units, retail spaces or other innovative ideas—could be included to make the overall development viable and sustainable.

We understand that the community has diverse needs and that it may be challenging to meet all of them. Therefore, we aim to find a modern, flexible solution that balances these needs and gives us the best chance of success. We are committed to making our decisions transparently and publicly, ensuring that the process is open and inclusive.

We are now keen to engage in discussions with potential operators to explore how we can best develop the Clair Hall site. While we may not be able to satisfy every individual requirement, our goal is to create a vibrant, multifaceted development that benefits the community as a whole. Crucially we have committed that any redevelopment of the site must begin with a cultural facility.

We would like to thank everyone for their interest and for contributing ideas to enhance Clair Hall.

As we progress into the next phase, we're pleased to share that we are currently in the process of confirming the schedule for the upcoming technical panel which will be taking place either the week commencing January 29th or February 5^th, 2024. As we eagerly anticipate this, we'll be dedicating time to thoroughly review all the submissions we've received and are committed to ensuring a comprehensive and fair evaluation of each proposal. As a reminder our technical panel is an independent group of specialists who will be considering the proposals submitted – you can find out more about them here.

We have received a request from an individual for their proposal to remain confidential. In accordance with this request, we are ensuring that all proposals are treated with confidentiality. However, any group that wishes to share their proposal publicly is welcome to do so. It's important to note that if a proposal is shared in a manner different from its original submission, the Council reserves the right to publicly highlight any discrepancies.

Once we have confirmed the date for the technical panel, we will share a comprehensive timeline outlining the next steps. Additionally, we will ensure that the engagement hub remains regularly updated.

Thank you for your patience and we look forward to sharing more updates soon.

We thank all of the community groups that have sent in proposals for Clair Hall. Based on the additional information shared last month, some respondents have sought additional time. Therefore we will not be accepting any new submissions but we will be giving until Monday 11^th December at 5pm (for those who made a submission or expression of interest by the 27^th November) to add additional information.

Whilst there may be the opportunity to add additional information in response to questions through the technical panel process, we are asking that all documentation that forms the material proposal is submitted, so please do share any further information you would like to. Submissions should be to louise.duffield@midsussex.gov.uk

Further to a few questions we have received from our community, please see an update below:

Our approach for community proposals aims to be as enabling and supportive as possible. We wish to hear viable proposals from the community without placing a burden on community groups who may not have the resources to pull together detailed and exhaustive written documentation. Thus we have developed a technical panel who can review and evaluate information through discussion and follow up questions and information.

However, we recognise we have been asked for greater detail and clarity about their approach, and the process and timeline, and as such the documents found under the 'Documents' tab on the right hand side of this page should help provide this. This sets out how we will approach proposals, who forms the technical panel and the broad criteria we will consider proposals against. This includes further interactions between community groups and the technical panel where additional information and clarity are required. This flexibility of engagement means timescales remain indicative.

Whilst financial viability and a robust business case are vital some of the other criteria in should be considered as guiding principals. If any group would like to discuss the broader criteria we are happy to do so.

We recognise that in responding to questions and requests from community groups we have introduced further information and are happy to consider any reasonable additional time any group needs to respond to this.

We would therefore ask that anyone interested in submitting a proposal indicates an intention to do so by midnight on Monday 27th November (the current deadline) and at the same time sets out any additional time they require. This information should be sent to Louise.Duffield@midsussex.gov.uk

Further to the update published on 3 November, we are pleased to inform you that we are extending the deadline for community proposals until 27 November due to expressions of interest and requested extensions.

The future of the Clair Hall site is really important to our community, and there is a potential opportunity to deliver something significant for generations to come. We are therefore committed to taking the time to explore every option carefully, including those from community groups.

If you have any questions, please submit them using the ‘questions’ tab.

Many thanks,

Louise Duffield

Director of Resources and Organisational Development

Mid Sussex District Council