Plans to redevelop Burgess Hill Town Centre are to be welcomed and could bring real benefits for local residents with better shops and housing in the town. Liberal Democrats have worked with the Conservatives and others on the Town Council to ensure the scheme provides the best possible benefits for Burgess Hill. However it is also important that the massive sums involved add up in the current financial environment.

Mid Sussex District Council employed Thornfield plc (http://www.thornfieldproperties.co.uk/caseStudy.php?case=19) to redevelop the town centre, much of it owned by the Council, and the scheme being put forward could provide a real boost . The “concept scheme” currently looks set for approval by the District Council and will be followed by consultation on the detailed proposals and a full planning application.

Concerns have been expressed that the District Council is putting all its eggs in one basket, and that the costs of setting up the strategic agreements have been at the expense of funding for other projects – although the cost of the redevelopment itself will be borne by the Thornfield Plc. However there are significant risks’ being taken on by the District Council, and given the Conservative administrations previous financial mismanagement, their track record does not inspire confidence.

The stakes are high – with a 250 year lease being given to Thornfield to manage a large chunk of the town centre based on an unpublished financial assessment, and on the basis of “suitable cost undertakings being received”. It remains to be seen whether these guarantees are forthcoming and it appears the District Council has no plan B.

All councillors on the Town Council have worked together to try and ensure that any redevelopment is in the interests of Burgess Hill, irrespective of the District Council’s Conservative administration who have not always been co-operative, and that the Council does not put commercial gain from its landholdings, before the needs of the town.

With the credit crunch many similar redevelopment schemes around the country have crashed – a Guardian report recently spoke of “hundreds” of so calling mixed use redevelopment schemes having been put on hold around the country, so to some extent fingers are crossed that the financial aspects of the plan will add up. The mixed use is the need to build flats and houses to subsidise the shopping development. In Burgess Hill it is important the right balance is struck between new shops and sustainable housing developments.

The landmark building at the head of Queen Elizabeth Avenue, upgraded library facilities, a new public square, a major expansion in shopping facilities, extra housing, and if the planners and developers will get it right, a decent multi-storey car park and proper public toilets could all bring real benefits.

Regretfully redevelopment of the station area has been withdrawn from the scheme, at least for the moment, awaiting proposals from Network Rail. A clear vision is needed for this area to provide a proper transport interchange that encourages people to use public transport.

Additionally the level of affordable housing must not be sacrificed in order to make the scheme more attractive to the developer rather than provide decent housing – unlike in Haywards Heath where the District Council seems to be prepared to relax its affordable housing criteria.

In Mid Sussex we’ve already seen road schemes scheduled to be paid for by developers cancelled in East Grinstead and delayed in Haywards Heath, so we need to be careful development rights are not signed over on ineffective terms.

Matters are not helped by the lack of information provided by the Conservative controlled Mid Sussex District Council, its web link seems largely to consist of information from 2006 when up to date information and meaningful consultation should be a priority (follow the link from their home page http://www.midsussex.gov.uk/page.cfm.

Yet the goal of a better town, with improved facilities, and a much expanded retail experience is well worth pursuing, and could be part of an integrated plan, which together with the thousands of new houses proposed for the town, gives us a truly 21st century Burgess Hill.