The opportunity to comment upon the planning application for the proposed Mayfield Community and Health Centre on Wealden District Council’s (WDC) planning portal ended on the 7^th October. Amongst the approximate 150 Mayfield and Five Ashes villagers who expressed their views, around 125 were in support and some 25 against. We now eagerly await the decision from Wealden’s Planning Department, which we anticipate will be given following a WDC planning meeting at the end of November. 

Meanwhile, an ‘invitation to tender’ document has been issued to the short-listed regional building contractors chosen because of their suitability for public sector building projects. It is hoped to award the contract early in the New Year. 

The project team has also been pro-active in approaching Fields in Trust (FIT) to re-open formal dialogue about the proposed building. In July 2020 an agreement in principle was reached with FIT concerning the MCC building project, which has subsequently been withdrawn by them. We have therefore put forward several options to FIT in hope that one might prove mutually acceptable to both parties. These include a simple agreement for the new building, which still occupies a small fraction of the 2 acre site on the previously developed area and the re-visiting the offer of Jubilee Wood, which was declined by FIT in April this year on the basis of a misunderstanding by them about of the ownership of the strip of land between the road and the woodland, but which has since been confirmed as being in Highways Authority ownership and therefore not private land. 

The new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), which was approved at February’s full council meeting, has applied to the Charities Commission for charitable status that will allow the CIO to apply for grants to fund items that fall outside of the design building contract. The CIO will also run the community centre. 

Last, but not least, a fund-raising group of local volunteers has been formed to help raise money through fun local activities for fixtures and fixings such as tables and chairs, new kitchen equipment, furniture for the community hub and equipment that regular hall users might want.

Residents may email clerk@mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk about the project and we will continue to post further information and updates at www.mayfieldfiveashes.org.uk and on the village Facebook site.