Wates Residential will redevelop Clair Hall, paying £3.4m towards a 330-capacity cinema and stage venue. Public consultation is due in the first half of 2027, with building from 2028.
Wates Residential is the developer that will redevelop the Clair Hall site in Haywards Heath. Mid Sussex District Council named the company on 23 October, eleven days after its cabinet picked an unnamed “Bidder A”.
The council’s announcement says Wates will work with the council and The Digital Picture House on a scheme it values at £23 million. Wates is part of the family-owned Wates Group.
Who pays for the venue
Wates would contribute £3.4 million towards building the new cultural venue. The council has set aside up to £1.5 million from its reserves.
Together those two sums match the cost of about £4.9 million for the venue that the cabinet report set out. The report put the land value of the 39 homes at £3.41 million, and the council’s money covers the gap. We broke down those figures when the report was published.
The council says any public money will only be released once conditions in the development agreement are met:
- satisfactory planning permission
- completion by an agreed target date
It keeps the freehold of the venue, and the operator’s rent will help offset its contribution. The release says the council “will seek to minimise public funding” as the plans develop.
What would be built
The release describes:
- a council-owned venue run by The Digital Picture House, which runs The Atrium in East Grinstead and The Picture House in Uckfield
- four auditoriums with cinema equipment, one with an integrated stage for live performance
- a flexible community studio and an all-day cafe and restaurant
- room for up to 330 people at any one time across the auditoriums and community spaces
- a landscaped route from Perrymount Road to Clair Park, with new surfacing, lighting and native planting
- homes, with apprenticeships and work placements during construction
The cabinet report put the number of homes at 39, all low rise.
The cabinet vote
The minutes of the 12 October cabinet meeting, published on 26 October, record a unanimous vote. Cabinet approved Bidder A as preferred developer, delegated the legal agreements to a council director, and agreed the £1.5 million provision from the Place Regeneration Reserve.
The minutes say 56 objections were received to the disposal of the land. The deputy leader, Councillor Hobbs, said he was “satisfied that these had been adequately addressed”. Councillors Marsh and Kenny, who are not on the cabinet, said they supported the recommendations.
The council’s decision register also shows a call-in of the cabinet’s decision was published on 21 October. A call-in lets councillors ask for a decision to be reviewed before it takes effect. The register page was blocked to us today, so we cannot yet say who made the request or what was decided on it. The council’s release two days later says the appointment is confirmed.
What happens next
- First half of 2027: Wates will hold community engagement with residents, groups and existing users before it applies for planning permission.
- 2028: construction could start, subject to planning approval and the legal agreements.
- Autumn 2029: the scheme could be finished.
The council leader, Councillor Robert Eggleston, said: “We know people will have different views, and we want local voices to help shape what comes next through community engagement and the planning process.”
What it means for you
- Nothing is decided on the design. The council calls the plans early and says they may change. Your first chance to see and comment on them is the engagement in the first half of 2027, then the planning application.
- The venue is not open until 2029 at the earliest. Clair Hall has been shut since spring 2020.
- Council money is capped and conditional. Up to £1.5 million, paid only if planning is granted and the venue is built on time.
- Updates will appear on the council’s Clair Hall engagement page.
For other schemes across the district, see our Mid Sussex planning news page.
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