Step forward for teen village

NEW and improved designs for Hailsham s proposed teenage village development came before town councillors and won the full support of members.

The so-called 'playground for teenagers, planned for the town council-owned Maurice Thornton playing field, was criticised by town councillors when the original designs were produced in October as they considered it to be 'quite excessive in terms of size and too close to a new plantation of sapling trees.

The revised plans show a reduction in size and a shift in position to behind the tree line. The five small timber-built shelters and area of hard standing that comprise the plan have also been re-arranged, with three shelters now on the lower side and two on the upper side of the court.

'We didn t like what we saw last time because they hadn t taken any of our ideas into consideration, said Cllr Ian Haffenden. 'They have now taken our comments on board, made it smaller and moved it.

'They ve done everything we asked, so I can t see we could have any objections.

In addition to the alterations, a path has been included in the development, which councillors said would be a welcome addition. In October, members of the planning committee asked whether it would be possible to make the wooden shelters out of metal instead, but the developer noted on the revised plans that this would make the teenage village too expensive.

The proposal was before Wealden Council s development control south sub-committee yesterday.