aerial view of pavillion

Sports Pavilion Redevelopment

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Plumpton’s playing fields are located on Station Road, Plumpton (opposite the railway station) formally known as King George V Playing Field. KGVPF is a designated Fields in Trust field.  The playing field is owned by Plumpton Parish Council.

The pavilion at the KGVPF is also the home of Honeybees Preschool. The site also has a public playpark, skatepark, basketball court and provides the space for cricket, stoolball and football pitches plus archery.  The pavilion at KGVPF has been a well-used and loved building for over 80 years. In 2010 there were plans drawn up to replace the building but for financial reasons at the time the Parish Council could not proceed.  In 2017/8 major refurbishment of the kitchen/communal areas/changing rooms was completed and sections of the outside cladding was renewed. This was funded by a £50,000 grant plus fundraised money from various user groups and the Parish Council. During this refurbishment it was noted that the life of the building would be in the region of about ten years.

Honeybees Preschool has grown from strength to strength having achieved an Ofsted Outstanding report in 2023.  Honeybees are in desperate need of a more functional facility which remains at this location within the parish so parents can walk their children to the school. Recent legislation requires that additional space for infants is provided and the increasing numbers of young children wanting to attend Honeybees means the current facility is not sustainable.

The King George V Playing Field is registered with the Charity Commission and the Parish Council are sole managing trustees of the charity.  The Parish Council formed the Playing Field Committee which is made up of representatives from various sports clubs, Honeybees Preschool and Parish Council members.

The Parish Council along with the users of the pavilion have over the years worked very hard to maintain the building and in November 2023 the Parish Council, after having assessed the building and with regard to the increasing costs of maintaining the building, agreed that investing in a new pavilion is the way forward.

A working group has been formed.  Invitations to the parish and user groups were sent out asking for members to sit on the working group.  There were few responses, and the working group now consists of four parish councillors, two members of Honeybees preschool and two members representing the sports clubs.  The first meeting of the working group was held on 23rd January where a project wish list was formed by the user representatives.  Plumpton Parish Council opened three surveys which were published online and promoted on Facebook, monthly parish magazine and the parish council’s website.

Results of the surveys can be found here:

At the same time the Parish Council agreed to commission George Pottinger Architect to provide a Structural Appraisal of the building to see if it would be financially viable to refurbish rather than demolish the building. His report can be found here: Structural Appraisal. It was agreed by the Parish Council at their meeting in May 2024, following recommendation from the working group, that it was not financially viable to refurbish the building as the foundations do not support the current building regulations and bringing these foundations up to standard would be more costly than demolishing and rebuilding.

The working group investigated and spoke to many prefab companies who could provide a new building and manage the whole project but after much investigation it was apparent that these companies wanted architectural drawings before considering quoting.  George Pottinger was therefore appointed Project Manager.  The project plan can be viewed here: Project Programme. George Pottinger completed the Stage 1 report with the Stage 2 report received on 8th July 2024. Stage 2 report shows a single storey design and a two-storey design.  It was apparent that the extra cost to build a two-storey building did not justify the small increase the footprint and therefore the working group agreed to move with the single-story approach. A topographical survey was completed on 1st July and can be viewed here:  Structural Survey. At the parish council meeting held on 9th July it was agreed to proceed with Stage 3 plus a drainage and environmental survey.  A further site meeting is to take place on 29th July to discuss final design and layout.  On receipt of this final design two consultations will be held week commencing 5th August for the sports users to view and comment and week commencing 12th August for residents and parents/carers of Honeybees to view and comment.  Subject to final comments from the consultation, it is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted to Lewes District Council on 16th August.

The estimated cost of the single storey build will be between £1m and £1.3m (this will be confirmed once a quantity surveyor submits their report at the end of Stage 3).  Plumpton Parish Council plan to apply for the Lewes District portion of Community Infrastructure Levy and potentially a Public Works Board Loan (if absolutely necessary) with educational grants being applied for by Honeybees plus Sport England/National Lottery Community grants by the sports users.   The architectural fees and other surveys are being funded through receipts from Community Infrastructure Levy made possible by recent housing developments made within the parish.

Public Consultations are being held for the Users and Preschool on 5th August and for residents on 15th August both commencing at 19:45 at the Pavilion.

July 2024

Pavilion Consultation

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Residents Consultation 15.8.2024

Users Consultation 5.8.2024

Please note that these meetings will take place in the Pavilion

Housing Needs Survey

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Thank you to all who took part and returned the survey.

Please find a summary here:- Plumpton Housing Needs Survey 2024 – Summary

Please find the full report here:- HNS Report – Plumpton Parish 2024 – FINAL

New Pavilion

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Plumpton’s playing fields are located on Station Road, Plumpton (opposite the railway station) formally known as King George V Playing Field. KGVPF is a designated Fields in Trust field.  The playing field is owned by Plumpton Parish Council.

On the KGVPF site there is a pavilion which is also the home of Honeybees Preschool, playpark, skatepark, basketball court, cricket, stoolball and football pitches plus archery.  The pavilion at KGVPF has been a well-used and loved building for over 80 years. In 2010 there were plans drawn up to replace the building but for financial reasons at the time it wasn’t viable.  In 2017/8 a grant was achieved with Leader for £50,000 plus fundraised money from various user groups and the Parish Council to refurbish the kitchen/communal areas/changing rooms and clad part of the outside that was dilapidated. During this refurbishment it was noted that the life of the building would be in the region of about ten years.

Honeybees Preschool has grown from strength to strength having achieved an Ofsted Outstanding report in 2023.  Honeybees are in desperate need of a more functional setting but still within the accessibility of the parish so parents can walk their children to the setting. The King George V Playing Field is registered with the Charity Commission and the Parish Council are sole managing trustees of the charity.  The Parish Council formed the Playing Field Committee which is made up of representatives from various sports clubs, Honeybees Preschool and Parish Council members.

The Parish Council along with the users of the pavilion have over the years worked very hard to maintain the building and in November 2023 the Parish Council after having assessed the building and the cost to maintain the building it was agreed that a brand new pavilion would be the way forward.

A working group has been formed.  Invitations to the parish and user groups were sent out asking for members to sit on the working group.  There were few responses and the working group consists of three parish councillors, two members of Honeybees preschool and one member representing the sports clubs.  The first meeting of the working group was held on 23rd January and in order to start the project a wish list needs to be created by way of surveys to the users, residents and neighbours.  Please click on the link that is most relevant to you.

Neighbours Survey

Users Survey

Residents Survey

Lewes District Planning Authority and Special Measures

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Residents will have seen the news that Lewes District Council Planning Department has been put into “Special Measures” by the Government. This is because LDC has been trying to protect residents from over development and refusing some major planning applications. The developers have appealed to the government inspectors and the refusal decisions have been reversed. Plumpton suffered this directly with the Nolands development being allowed on appeal. Barcombe and Wivelefield have similarly suffered and have unwanted development forced upon them. Clearly the idea of local democracy when it comes to planning is proving too inconvenient for the government.

We thank our District Councillor, Daniel Stewart-Roberts for providing us with a briefing note which gives some detail on what ‘Special Measures’ means in practice .

Briefing note from District Councillor Daniel Stewart-Roberts

There’s an easy way to cut your energy bills!

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If you privately rent or own your own home, it isn’t heated by gas, it’s difficult or expensive to heat, and you’re on a low income then you could get a grant to upgrade your home. This could include insulation, solar panels or a new heating system.

Freephone 0800 464 7307 and just quote HUG2
– this is managed on behalf of your local Council
Or text WARM to 80011 or visit
Warm East Sussex – keep warm and well in East Sussex

2024-2025 Grant Applications

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Applications for Grant or Donation Funding for local charities/groups and societies from Plumpton Parish Council 2024/25 are now open.

Application form 

Alternatively, send an email to the clerk on anita.emery@plumptonpc.co.uk

Please send applications to the Parish Clerk, by email or in writing to, Parish Office, Village Hall, 1 Westgate, Plumpton Green, East Sussex BN7 3BQ no later than 6th May 2024.

Applications will be reviewed by the Finance Committee at the 14th May 2024 meeting.

Statement from The Parish Council: The Sports Pavilion

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The Sports Pavilion at the Playing Field has served us well for the last 80+ years but now the fabric of the building is failing and the Parish Council is spending a lot of your money keeping it operational. The Parish Council have decided to work towards replacing the building. We would need funding of course and in order to put a coherent bid in front of the various funding bodies we need to decide what we want. How do we want the new Pavilion to look? How can we build a more sustainable, environmentally friendly building whilst providing the facilities we need – what are those facilities?

We will form a working group which will comprise of representatives of the Parish Council and Pavilion users. In addition we are looking for input from residents who would like to help. Perhaps you have particular skills in designing a community space or know someone with expertise in architecture, fund raising, green energy, temporary building solutions or interior design…….

Please contact Anita Emery (Clerk) anita.emery@plumptonpc.co.uk in the first instance, we are aiming to get this working group up and running early in the new year.

Community Grants 2023-2024

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The awarding of community grants has now changed since the parish council achieved general power of competence in May 2023. Therefore for 2023-2024 the parish council has allocated £2000 (which shall be reviewed at budget setting in October 2023) and welcomes applications from organisations with a local connection to Plumpton parish or those that are directly involved in helping residents of the village. An application for a grant or donation from the Parish Council should be submitted on the approved form which is available from the Clerk or by visiting the parish coundil website. All applications for grant or donation funding must be approved at a full Parish Council meeting. Expenditure should be targeted at improving or maintaining the quality of life for the majority of residents of Plumpton parish, or at least a significant minority of the residents such as young people or the elderly. Grants or donations will not be considered for financing the aims of political or religious organisations, nor of individuals. Checks are to be made to ensure that all expenditure is used for the purpose for which it was agreed. If any variation to the agreed expenditure is required, it must be approved by the Council, or the funding will be cancelled, and the grant repaid. Applications for donations from national organisations and charities will be considered on a case-by-case basis but in general will not be met unless there is a proven link with the parish.

The usual deadline for the grant applications would be 31st May, however, due to the elections, this year the deadline for submission will be 30th September. Community grants will only be considered once a year.

Housing Targets and ‘Special Measures’

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Please see additional information from the Parish Council here.