Consultation on the the future of the playing fields next to the Tilling Green Community Centre begins this Friday, May 23. Landlord East Sussex County Council agreed to seek local's people's views on the "intention to dispose of" the land at the end of April.
The decision was made by Nick Bennett, ESCC's lead member for resources and climate change. Both the land and the community centre are currently let to Rye Partnership on a thirty-year lease, which was granted in 2022. The contract on the playing fields part of the site includes an option to break the lease.
The playing fields at Tilling Green are allocated for housing in the Rye Neighbourhood Plan. In December Rye News revealed proposals from Martello Development for 21 new homes consisting of 4 one-bedroom, 7 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom houses on the site.
Martello has put forward plans for 140 new homes in Rye on four separate sites, including Tilling Green. No proposals have been officially submitted.
In February ESCC denied they were planning to sell the site. A spokesperson told Rye News: "We are not currently consulting on the disposal of the playing fields adjacent to the Tilling Green Community Centre, which are leased to Rye Partnership on a 30-year lease. Should the site be identified for disposal in future, and before it is marketed for sale, a notice will be placed in a local newspaper for two weeks. Any responses to the notice will then be considered by East Sussex County Council.”
ESCC now says the playing fields could be sold. "It is... considered likely that the site could be disposed of on the open market, in return for a capital receipt."
Meanwhile another group is developing proposals for the playing fields. The Rye Community Land Trust has recently been formed, with £5,000 ring-fenced funding from Rye Town Council. Monday's meeting of the council on May 19 agreed to commission a plan for housing on the site from architects.
The Trust is made up of councillors and local people: Jonathon Bennett, Sylvia Bennett, Cllr Boyd, Cllr Fiddimore, Cllr Rogers, Colonel Anthony Kimber, Christopher Strangeways, Philip Merricks and Martin Blincow.
Details of the consultation are expected to be published at https://publicnoticeportal.uk/
A final decision on whether to sell the land will be made this summer.
