Arcade plan allowed

UCKFIELD traders and councillors this week lost in their long-running fight against plans for an amusement arcade in the town centre.

An eight-month battle to block an application from Tunbridge Wells-based company Shaw Leisure ended when a Government inspector allowed an appeal to run the arcade at 29 High Street.

Senior political and business figures in the town had expressed concerns that an amusement centre in the middle of town would attract trouble from youths.

However, the appeal inspector Michael Hillyer said an arcade would provide 'variety to the High Street and could 'contribute to the economic benefit of Uckfield .

The winner of the appeal, Nicholas Shaw, told the Sussex Express he hoped to have the arcade up and running within four weeks. The site of the arcade, which will contain 30 machines, is at the old Excel clothing shop and has been empty for two years.

Mr Hillyer said: 'The proposal would introduce an unclassified use to the site. That in itself would provide variety within the High Street and I believe that an amusement centre would introduce more liveliness and vitality at the site than there has been normal in recent time.

'There is an existing problem in Uckfield centre with youth vandalism and crime. That cannot be directly related to amusement centres because there aren t any in the area, neither does it constitute evidence on its own that a centre would bring with it an increase in vandalism. The operator would pay regard to youth crime by operating a ban on customers under the age of 18.

Referring to Mr Shaw s existing shop in Tunbridge Wells, he said: 'The customers were mainly middle-aged men. I have no reason to believe that matters would be different at the Uckfield site.

'I believe that some of the customers of a new amusement arcade would carry out linked shopping visits and thus contribute to the economic benefit of Uckfield, as they do in Tunbridge Wells.

A condition of the appeal is that the arcade must not open any later than 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays.

Mr Shaw said: 'I am very pleased. I have been paying rent on the property since May so I hope to be up and running by the end of February.

'All the objections were natural. There was a similar frame of mind from traders in Tunbridge Wells initially, but now we have a good relationship with them. People are always afraid of what they don t know.

Uckfield Mayor Cllr Barrie Murray said: 'It was like Manchester United versus Uckfield Town; we didn t stand a chance. The planning consultant for Mr Shaw put her case well, we didn t put our case quite so well.

'They won it on planning grounds and nothing else. The planning inspector didn t take into account any of the morality issues we raised, nor the thoughts of the town s people.

Cllr Louise Eastwood, who represented Uckfield Town Council at the appeal, said: 'I would like the people of Uckfield to know that we tried. It s very disappointing.

An application for costs has been made against Wealden District Council by Mr Shaw.