Clair Hall in Haywards Heath: District Council to seek investment partner and cultural anchor tenant for site’s new venue

The District Council’s Cabinet met on Monday, October 17, to review the final report of BOP, the council’s lead specialist cultural and creative advisors.

They agreed to proceed with its recommendations to produce a brief for the site so the council can seek an investment partner and cultural anchor tenant for the venue.

MSDC leader Jonathan Ash-Edwards said: “I am grateful to BOP for the expertise that they have provided to our project to revitalise the Clair Hall site. Following careful consideration, we will be taking forward the recommendations in BOP’s final report.

“BOP’s report outlined the challenging economic climate that creates significant risks to investment in cultural facilities. However, they also outlined the positive findings from their investigations and confirmed that they are cautiously optimistic about the approach the Council is taking.

“Our goal remains to secure a cultural anchor tenant who can deliver a cultural and community offer for the whole of Mid Sussex now and in the future in a modern, fit for purpose venue on the Clair Hall site.”

MSDC officers are set to commission a specialist broker/agent to develop a detailed briefing and legal pack for the Clair Hall site. This will build on the resident engagement and consultation, as well as the information already gathered, and it will outline the expected deliverables for interested parties.

The council anticipates that officers will feed back on progress of this work early in 2023.