Future community use of Heathfield's leisure centre hanging in the balance

On Tuesday (September 20), Cllr Nick Bennett, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for resources and climate change, is set to decide the next steps for the leisure centre at Heathfield Community College.

The facility — which includes a sports hall, gym and dance studio — is currently used solely by the college during the day and is open to the wider public during evenings and weekends.

During the meeting, Cllr Bennett will be asked to sign off on plans to stop this wider community use by October 17.

The proposal follows a decision by Wealden District Council — which currently leases the building from the county council — not to continue operating the facility as it plans to consolidate its leisure services in Crowborough and Hailsham.

This means East Sussex County Council would have to take over responsibility for its operation to keep the centre open in some form. Officers say this would be financially unsustainable.

Since Wealden’s decision in late 2020, the county council has sought expressions of interest from businesses to take over the running of centre. Officers say the council was unable to find a viable alternative through this process, however.

This summer the county council held a public consultation seeking views on how to proceed.

While the vast majority of the 121 consultation respondents (92 per cent) opposed closure of the community use, council officers say no viable alternatives came forward as part of this process either.

In a report to be considered as part of the meeting, a council officer said: “The consultation responses provided a number of suggestions relating to changes to the operating model.

“However, none of these offered a financially sustainable model for continued non-college community use.

“Even with the proposed changes, significant financial resources would be required to maintain non-college community use of the centre.

“In addition, a number of the suggestions received through the consultation are not considered feasible on a college site for a variety of reasons, primarily due to safeguarding requirements.”

Are you concerned about the future community use of the facility? Email your thoughts to [email protected]