Urban Events mark the first steps taken in new partnership for Burgess Hill

- 26/09/2024

Urban Events mark the first steps taken in new partnership for Burgess Hill

Following the Council’s recent decision to progress the formation of a Joint Venture with NewRiver REIT plc (NewRiver), which aims to deliver the redevelopment of Martlets Shopping Centre in Burgess Hill, both parties are jointly delivering a series of activities to mark their commitment to the partnership and help enliven the school holiday and festive periods for the local community.  

‘Urban Events’ is a series of free activities during October half-term and in the run up to Christmas, aimed at young people aged 8-15 to bring local people together and drive activity into the town centre. 

The first series of events will take place from October 26 to November 3 and will include a whole range of activities from laser tag for families and DJ workshops to circus skills, Hallowe’en face painting, a mini golf course and bouncy castle games. This will be followed by events leading up to Christmas including a synthetic ice rink.  

Mid Sussex District Council leader Robert Eggleston said he was delighted with the partnership with NewRiver as it provides the best prospect for revitalising the town centre through the delivery of a new shopping centre, despite much work still to do. However, in the short term the town will benefit from a host of exciting free events for young people in October as a statement of intent to working together. 

“Like many shopping centres around the country, Burgess Hill has been struggling with the rise of online shopping, intense out-of-town competition, the long-term effects of the Covid pandemic and tough trading conditions,” Cllr Eggleston said.

“The town is gearing up for significant economic growth. We need a vibrant, high quality and accessible town centre to meet the demands of our new science park and business park, our £9m centre for community sport, three new schools and 6,000 new homes. Whilst we work towards this goal, these events mark the start of this new partnership”. 

Jamie Whitfield, Director of Development at NewRiver said, “We are a long-term investor in Burgess Hill and remain committed to delivering the revitalisation of the Martlets. There has been considerable work in the background and we are excited that, as we progress our partnership with Mid Sussex District Council, we can enable some free, fun community events at the centre.”  

Details of the events can be found on Mid Sussex District Council’s website and on social media. Search Urban Events on www.midsussex.gov.uk