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Press release: Closure of Glen Vue, East Grinstead

Author: Andrew Taylor

Consultation on Dog Control Public Space Protection Orders

Posted on by Andrew Taylor

Mid Sussex District Council is running a six-week public consultation from 10 September to find out what local people think about dog control measures in Mid Sussex.

Mid Sussex has four Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) relating to dog control. The measures are in place to protect the local environment and deter irresponsible dog ownership. However, the current PSPOs expire later this year and Mid Sussex District Council will be required to extend them in order to keep them enforceable.

The Council is proposing a simple extension of the existing powers it has under the PSPOs.

Councillor Norman Webster, Cabinet Member for Community said:

“This is a key piece of work for the Council because, as a pet loving nation, it’s important that we have policies in place to protect dogs, their owners and other users of our open spaces.

“We have four PSPOs in Mid Sussex to deter dog fouling, to keep play and activity areas safe, to ensure people are able to control the number of dogs they have with them and to be able to request that a dog is put on a lead if that’s required.

“These measures are in place to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy our open spaces safely. Most dog owners in Mid Sussex are responsible, pick up their dog’s mess and keep them under proper control. However, there is a small minority who don’t, and this can create problems. The Public Space Protection Orders enable fixed penalty notices to be issued by an authorised officer when they see an offence occur. These are set at £75 or £50 if paid within 10 days.

“We’re keen to hear from everyone, so please use this consultation as an opportunity to let us know if you like the current arrangements or if there’s anything you would like to change.”

The proposed Public Space Protection Orders will cover:

  • Fouling of Land by Dogs

In order to reduce the amount of dog fouling in Mid Sussex, owners are required to clean up their dogs’ mess. This order is applied to any land which is open to the air and to which the public have access.

  • Dog Exclusion

To prevent people, or the dogs themselves, being injured as a result of sharing activity space, dogs should be excluded from all fenced children’s play areas and fenced recreational areas such as tennis courts, bowling greens and multi activity areas owned by Mid Sussex District Council.

  • Dogs on Lead by Direction

In order to stop a loose dog disrupting sporting or community events or disturbing local wildlife, dogs must be placed on a lead if requested to do so by an authorised officer. This order applies to Mid Sussex District Council owned land on which formal sports and community events regularly take place, and all designated nature reserves.

  • Dogs Specified Maximum Amount

The number of dogs one person, or one group, can take onto designated Council land is six. This applied to some Council owned nature reserves, adjoining land and several large reception grounds.

The consultation will be available to view at the Mid Sussex District Council website www.midsussex.gov.uk/dogcontrolconsultation for six weeks starting on Thursday 10 September.

Leisure centres will reopen on 1 September

Posted on by Andrew Taylor

Mid Sussex leisure centres will reopen on Tuesday 1 September.

A special Council meeting took place on Wednesday 19 August to formally approve the new operating arrangements to ensure the leisure centres could re-open as soon as possible.

The decision to open the Kings leisure centre in East Grinstead, The Dolphin leisure centre in Haywards Heath and The Triangle leisure centre in Burgess Hill follows months of negotiations with Places Leisure, who operate the centres on behalf of the Council.

Since they were asked to close the leisure centres in March, Places Leisure have worked closely with Public Health England and the trade body ukactive to ensure the centres are able to reopen safely in line with government guidance. Councillors agreed that the Council would support reopening costs which are forecast as being potentially £2.5m in the year to April 2021.

As customers return to the leisure centres, they will notice lots of new measures in place to keep them, and leisure centre staff, safe. Signage will be in place to help people follow social distancing, there will be hand sanitising and cleaning stations, the number of people taking part in each activity will be reduced and cleaning regimes will be greatly enhanced.

Customers will be asked to book all activities in advance via the Places Locker app or the Places Leisure website. There will be a 15-30 minute changeover period between each session to allow customers time to exit their activity safely and Places Leisure staff to clean the facilities.

Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council said: “The Coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on leisure across the country and Mid Sussex’s leisure centres were not immune from this. We have worked hard with Places Leisure to find a way to reopen our three centres in a Covid-secure and financially sustainable way.

“The Council is making available a huge financial support package for leisure in Mid Sussex, potentially £2.5 million in this financial year, a level of subsidy which was not required before Coronavirus and without which the leisure centres would not reopen. Given the huge sums of money involved, which this year will come from the Council’s reserves, it is right that we have taken time to thrash out the best possible deal.

“Our leisure centres are an important part of our community and it’s fantastic that they will now be able to reopen on 1st Sepember. I know how keen people are to get back to the gym, exercise classes and the swimming pool and I would like to thank residents for their patience while we negotiated this support package.

“Once the leisure centres are open, I hope that residents will make use of them. They are safe and the more they are used, the less the burden will be on the taxpayer. I hope that the reopening on 1st September will be another important step towards a more normal way of life”.

Steve Warriner, Places Leisure Area Manager said: “We’re delighted that The Dolphin, Kings Centre and The Triangle will be re-opening on 1 September and we look forward to welcoming customers back to our gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools.

“You will be able to find details of our opening times, customer FAQs and a list of all our available activities on our website at www.placesleisure.org/reopening/midsussex.”

Proposals on the agenda to reopen Mid Sussex leisure centres in early September

Posted on by Andrew Taylor

Mid Sussex District Council has called two extraordinary meetings to discuss the proposed reopening of local leisure centres.

Cabinet and Full Council meetings have been scheduled for Wednesday 19 August and Members will be asked to consider a proposal to reopen Kings, The Dolphin and The Triangle leisure centres. Should the proposal be approved, leisure centres in Mid Sussex will reopen early in September.

Councillor Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council said:

“The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on all of our lives, but the leisure industry in particular has been hit hard. Leisure centres across the country have been forced to close and even now they can reopen, social distancing will artificially reduce the number of residents able to use them.

“The cost of running leisure centres at the moment is extremely high and that’s why we’ve spent time working closely with our partners at Places Leisure to reach a sustainable agreement on how to run our centres in these uncertain times, given they now require significant taxpayer subsidy.

“This has been a difficult time for everyone and I know many people have missed being able to visit their local leisure centre. A proposal has been put forward for our consideration and I hope my fellow Councillors join me on 19 August in supporting the reopening of our leisure centres.”

Temporary change to bin collections due to hot weather

Posted on by Andrew Taylor

On Monday 10, Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 August the Mid Sussex bin collections will start from 6am due to the high temperatures that have been forecast.

This will give our crews more time to work in the cooler part of the day. Please ensure your bins are placed out ready for collection the evening before, in plenty of time for the early start. The early collection times may continue throughout the week depending on the forecast. Please check the Mid Sussex District Council website for further updates: www.midsussex.gov.uk/recycling

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Proposed night works – Ship Street

Posted on by Andrew Taylor

Address of works proposed works: Bullfrog Music 15 17 Ship Street East Grinstead Mid Sussex West Sussex RH19 4EG

The works are for the provision of a new fibre cable for a new customer connection. Work will involve accessing existing BT carriageway and footway boxes for cabling and jointing. The works will be mainly done by hand rodding with noise kept to a minimum. The vehicles onsite will be a Light cabling vehicle which may be required to undertake some of the cabling.

We have been advised by our traffic management supplier (Sunbelt Rentals) that works are required to be conducted at night to provide a safe work site for our engineers and to minimize the disruption to traffic flow.

Temporary change to bin collections due to hot weather

Posted on by Andrew Taylor

On Thursday 6 and Friday 7 August the Mid Sussex bin collections will start from 6am due to the high temperatures that have been forecast.

This will give our crews more time to work in the cooler part of the day. Please ensure your bins are placed out ready for collection the evening before, in plenty of time for the early start. The early collection times may continue next week depending on the forecast. Please check the Mid Sussex District Council website for further updates: www.midsussex.gov.uk/recycling

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Incident Information from WSCC Resilience and Emergencies Team – The Met Office has issued a Level 3 Heat Health Alert

Posted on by Andrew Taylor

There is a 90% probability of Heat-Health criteria being met between 1200 on Thursday and 0900 on Sunday in parts of England

View the full warning at the Met Office Heat Health Watch site.

Hot weather can affect your health. The people most likely to be affected are the elderly, the very young, and people with pre-existing medical conditions.

If you know or look after someone that may be susceptible to the effects of this hot weather period please help make sure that they stay cool and well, and if possible check in advance that they are prepared for this hot spell.

Please follow this advice to keep cool and comfortable and reduce health risks:

  • Shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside. If it’s safe, open them for ventilation when it is cooler.
  • Avoid the heat: stay out of the sun and don’t go out between 11am and 3pm (the hottest part of the day).
  • Keep rooms cool by using shades or reflective material outside the windows. If this isn’t possible, use light-coloured curtains and keep them closed (metallic blinds and dark curtains can make the room hotter).
  • Have cool baths or showers, and splash yourself with cool water.
  • Drink cold drinks regularly, such as water and fruit juice. Avoid tea, coffee and alcohol.
  • Plan ahead to make sure you have enough supplies, such as food, water and any medications you need.
  • Identify the coolest room in the house so you know where to go to keep cool.
  • Wear loose, cool clothing and a hat if you go outdoors.

Also, please don’t forget about the animals in your care and view the top tips for keeping pets cool in hot weather by using the RSPCA link below.

For more information go to: