Residents Can Have Their Say On Future Of Hailsham Town Centre

Hailsham Forward is keen to hear the views of residents on its achievements during the past 18 months on improvements to the town centre, and is conducting a survey in order to get feedback on which shops and services are needed in the future.

Town councillors and other representatives of Hailsham Forward – the Town Team which aims to bring together stakeholders to review the best ways to revitalise the town centre and local business community – have launched their latest questionnaire survey for local residents, which can be found on the Hailsham Forward website – hailshamforward.co.uk, click on the link to ‘Have Your Say’ and is also available to collect from the Town Council offices in Market Street.

The survey enables residents to provide feedback on Hailsham Forward’s achievements in terms of town centre revitalisation since it was set up in August 2013.

Projects carried out and achievements to date include the creation and day-to-day running of the Hailsham Street Market, aesthetic improvements to a number of shop frontages, the launch of the Town & Shopping Guide available to shoppers via smart phone QR code scanning, organisation of the Hailsham Christmas Market, input into the Movement & Access Strategy for Hailsham & Hellingly (MASHH) scheme and Wealden District Council’s car park reviews.

Hailsham Forward continues to work on other important projects in partnership with the Town Council including a series of themed market/fete events taking place this summer, the introduction of free wi-fi hotspots, the proposed development of a Community Energy Scheme, and further discussion with East Sussex County Council on transport and traffic improvements in and around the town centre.

The survey also allows residents to put forward their ideas on additional ways to improve the town centre in the next few years.

Councillor Nigel Coltman, chairman of the Town Council’s Business Enterprise Committee and chairman of the Hailsham Forward Stakeholder Group said:

“Hailsham Forward has been a top priority for kick-starting the local economy and the Town Council has worked in partnership with other local authorities and local businesses during the past 18 months to revitalise the town centre and make significant improvements to the town at large for the benefit of the local community.

The survey recently published on the Hailsham Forward website is a chance for everyone who lives or works in Hailsham to have their say and influence the future of the town.”

Deputy Town Clerk and Business Enterprise Manager Mickey Caira said:

“It’s crucial that we gather as much feedback as possible from the public and I’d encourage people to take a minute or two to complete the short survey, tell us what you think about our work on town centre revitalisation to date and outline what you think should be future priorities for the high street.”