Consultation on future of Beacon Centre in Hassocks

A Hassocks parish councillor says he hopes the Beacon youth centre can be “self-financing” if it is re-opened and used for the whole community.
The Beacon CentreThe Beacon Centre
The Beacon Centre

But public support for the idea will be vital if the project is to get off the ground.

Due to budget cuts, West Sussex County Council withdrew funding for the centre in 2011 and youth services disappeared overnight.

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There were also problems over the terms of the centre’s original lease, which hampered attempts to keep it open for use by other age groups.

Now, after lengthy discussions with the county council and the new owner of the site, Asprey Homes, Hassocks Parish Council has unveiled exciting proposals to re-open the building.

Asprey, which has planning permission to build 17 homes to the north of the centre off Ockley Lane, is keen to see the building put to community use again.

The parish council is holding an open day at the centre this Saturday from 11am to 3pm and would like as many villagers as possible to come along to see the building’s potential and to fill in a questionnaire.

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Parish councillor Ian Weir said: “The developer has indicated he is keen to support the idea of the centre being used for the community and that is why we are holding the consultation.

“The centre should, hopefully, be self-financing with some support from the parish council and grants from other sources.”

The council has stressed that re-opening the building will depend on the level of public support for the idea, which is why the questionnaire is so important.

The questionnaire will be available to pick up during the open day or you can download a copy via:beacon centre