£13k Hailsham recreation ground lighting project nears completion

Working in partnership with Hailsham Active and grant specialist Annette Buswell, Hailsham Town Council was delighted to have been awarded £58,333 recently from the Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund towards the cost of lighting the footpath.

The lighting scheme, which was approved by the town council in 2020 as a recommendation from the assets management committee, involves the installation of 4-metre lights and bollards (under permitted development) interspersed around the perimeter pathway to give additional light and make walking or cycling through it at dusk and the evening safer for residents.

The introduction of such lighting at the recreation ground will also enable more people to access the site using the pathway all year round, and in inclement weather.

Council members agreed to allocate funding of £13,000 from its existing Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts for the cost of installing the lighting, which is now close to completion.

A public consultation took place in Hailsham in 2020 concerning the lighting of the pathway, and a final report presented to councillors indicated that 100 per cent of respondents believed that lighting the pathway would make them feel safer when using the recreation ground at night or early in the morning.

A town council spokesperson said: "It's excellent news that we secured a grant from the Veolia Environmental Trust to enable us to carry out the Western Road Recreation Ground footpath lighting project.

"The feedback we have received since we installed the new perimeter path a couple of years ago there suggested strong support for the need for pathway lighting, and the installation of said lighting is now almost finished.

"By moving forward to get the project done as quickly as possible, we can make our recreation grounds something we can all be proud of."

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