Plans for the proposed multi-million pound Wealden Community Sports Hub have taken a major step forward this week.

Members of Wealden District Council’s Cabinet committee agreed to progress the scheme – on a 20 acre parcel of land at Knights Farm East between the A267 and A271 – towards a planning application.

The proposed onsite sports facilities are for two full size 3G floodlit football pitches, four dual use floodlit tennis / netball courts, two padel tennis courts along with a walking and cycle route, BMX Pump track, skate park, children’s play area, outdoor tennis tables, outdoor gym equipment and a community café.

This facility mix is informed by a mix of leisure research including the Playing Pitch Strategy as well as the results of our public consultation and stakeholder engagement undertaken during 2021.

As plans for the site develop, officers will continue to engage with a number of key stakeholders such as sport governing bodies, sports clubs and town and parish councils to further develop and agree the preferred operating model and programming.

Councillor Philip Lunn, Wealden District Council’s portfolio holder for Commercial, Economic Development and Leisure, said, “This is very exciting and I am delighted to see this project take a major step forward following research, which showed a gap between the existing and required facilities in the district, and a public consultation exercise where we asked residents what they wanted to see included in the plans.

“The results of that consultation were overwhelmingly in favour of such a facility.

“The delivery of top-end sporting facilities on the site will provide opportunities for a large number of Wealden residents.”