Grounds & Environment Committee

Agenda

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

To:      All Members of the Grounds & Environment Committee (Kristian Berggreen, David Bunting, Frances Gaudencio, Bill Hatton, Sue Hatton, Peter Richardson, Paul Shepherd and Ian Weir) with copies to all other Councillors for information.

A meeting of the GROUNDS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE will be held on 23^rd October 2025 at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks.

Parish Clerk 16^th October 2025

1. TO ACCEPT APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2. TO ACCEPT DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

3. MINUTES. To accept the Minutes of the Grounds and Environment Meeting held on 4^th September 2025. (Previously circulated).

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

5. OFFICER’S REPORT. (Appendix 1).

6. GROUNDSPERSON REPORT. Annual leave – Nothing to report.

7. ALLOTMENTS REPORT – Verbal report from the Chair of the Allotment Association/Deputy Clerk.

8. TENNIS COURTS: Members are invited to view a report on the tennis courts, a proposal for a future maintenance schedule and new fees structure. (Appendix 2).

8.1 TREES – TENNIS COURTS. There have been concerns raised recently about the impact on the courts of the three large oak trees that surround the courts. The Clerk has obtained a quote of £850 to lift the Oaks by 5 metres. The trees requiring this work are protected by a Tree Protection Order (TPO). An application has been placed with MSDC for permission to complete this work.

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION – Members are invited to approve this work, from the Adastra Park/Tree Maintenance budget. Subject to approval from MSDC Tree Officer.

9. FLORAL DISPLAYS CONTRACT 2026. Members are invited to agree a contract with Greenscene Landscapes for another year (2026) for the planting, installation and maintenance of the Lamp Post floral displays, the planting, installation and maintenance of the hanging baskets and the planting and maintenance of 7 Planters 1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027. (Appendix 3).

9.1 GRAND AVENUE PLANTERS. Members are invited to consider the quote from Greenscene Landscapes to take over planting and maintenance of the two planters at village end of Grand Avenue. (Appendix 3).

9.2 ORION PLANTER RELOCATION. Members are invited to confirm the relocation of one Orion Parade planter. (Appendix 3).

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Members are invited to agree to Greenscene Landscapes:

• Continuing with the existing contract to provide our floral displays.
• To add the maintenance of the two Grand Avenue planters to our annual programme.
• To agree to the relocation of one of the Orion Parade planters in order for West Sussex County Council to complete highway works.

10. CHRISTMAS LIGHTING 2025 – Members are invited to view a report in relation to the festive lighting display for 2025. (Appendix 4).

11. HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION WORKING GROUP – Members are invited to consider the new Terms of Reference for the working group previously named 20mph Speed Limits Working Group. (Appendix 5). To view Appendix 5 please click here.  Possible amendments for discussion:

• Bullet point 1 – any local highways related issues: May be interpreted as to include reporting potholes. Individuals are asked to report these directly to WSCC and we also ask our WS Councillor to raise these issues. Suggest this sentence is omitted.
• Bullet point 3 – on highway related matters….
  Consider, guide and advise on road safety concerns and also any proposals on improvement to road schemes from members of the local populace, which would require submission to West Sussex County Council.

• A link to planning applications where there is a change to road layouts / infrastructure as a result of small or not so small housing developments. The group could feed into the planning committee responses when alerted to such schemes.

12. FOOTPATH – Friars Oak Road – Woodsland Road: A request was made by our West Sussex County Councillor for the Parish Council to fund additional signage along this footpath to further encourage cyclists to dismount while using this footpath. A quote was obtained from Sussex Signs. (Appendix 6). To view Apendix 6 please click here.

13. SPORTS FACILITIES FEES & CHARGES REVIEW 2026-27 – Members are requested to agree the proposed charges for 2026-27. An increase of 3.8% in line with inflation (Aug 25), has been applied. (Appendix 7). To view Apendix 7 please click here.

14. PARISH OFFICE EXTERIOR LIGHTING – A quote has been obtained for installation of a sensor light outside the building. (Appendix 8). To view Apendix 8 please click here.

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Members are invited to approve the installation of new lighting outside the Parish Office. Subject to identifying available funds.

15. ADASTRA PARK MASTERPLAN. Verbal Update if required. (Cllr David Bunting).

15.1 SPORTS MAINTENANCE REPORT. Members are invited to view a report regarding Adastra Park pitch maintenance. (Appendix 9). To view Apendix 9 please click here.

15.2 SHED – The Parish Council recently became aware that the owner of a property along the boundary of Adastra Park behind the Tennis Courts has erected a shed/garden room on land that is owned by the Parish Council. The Clerk & Cllr David Bunting recently met with the homeowner and explained that a legal document would need to be drawn up by our solicitor to formulise an agreement for ongoing use of this land.

RECOMMENDATION: Members are invited to agree the use of this land. The homeowner understands they will be responsible for any solicitor fees incurred by the Parish Council.

16. PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY (PROW). Verbal Update.

17. OPERATION WATERSHED Verbal Update.

18. URGENT MATTERS at the discretion of the Chair for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.

19. DATE OF NEXT MEETING. 4^th December 2025 at 7.30pm.

Please Note:
All members of the public are welcome to attend meetings of the Parish Council and its Committees. Item 4 – a period of 15 minutes will be set aside for the public statements and questions relating to the published non-confidential business of the Meeting.
It may be necessary to consider particular items in confidential session and where this arises, these items will be considered at the end of the agenda.

FILMING, RECORDING OF COUNCIL MEETINGS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. During this meeting members of the public may film or record the Committee and officers from the public area only, providing it does not disrupt the meeting. The Confidential section of the meeting may not be filmed or recorded. If a member of the public objects to being recorded, the person(s) filming must stop doing so until that member of the public has finished speaking. The use of social media is permitted but members of the public are requested to switch their mobile devices to silent for the duration of the meeting

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Appendix 1

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

To:      Grounds & Environment Committee                    

Date: 23^rd October 2025

Contacts for this report: Deputy Clerk                         

Subject: Agenda Item 5 – Officer Report

The purpose of this report is to update the Committee on (G&E) Matters:

1. Adastra Park fencing – The upgraded fencing along the north field boundary is due to be completed on 30^th October 2025. The contractor might need to drive a vehicle across the field. If the ground is very wet/boggy at the time, this will be advised against.
2. Pavilion – The building survey was completed on 30^th September by Stuart Radley. The Deputy Clerk has asked that the report be submitted by the end of October to enable any recommended works to go into the budget for 26/27.
3. Adastra Park – There are two benches in the park that are currently not concreted to the ground:

• One was originally situated outside the tennis courts. It was vandalised in the summer and thrown into the stream, has since been repaired by the Monday Group.
• The other is on the field near the rear entrance of Adastra Park

The Deputy Clerk has obtained a quote of £135.00 from Greenscene Landscape to fix these benches to the ground. This work will be going ahead using budgeted funds – Street scene/Seats.

4. New Litter bin – Permission has been obtained from WSCC to place the bin at the bus shelter on London Road. The bin has been ordered. Quote for installation £65.00 ex Vat.
5. Hassocks WI – The WI would like permission to mount a banner in the Garden of Remembrance, between two brick pillars in the wisteria square, for two weeks during November to raise awareness of Violence against Women and Girls. On Wednesday 19th November between 2-4pm they wish to hold a short vigil in the square by the banner in remembrance of those who lost their lives through domestic violence. They were given permission for the same activity last year.

The WI would like to erect again this November, a Poppy Cross at the entrance to the car park, on the right hand side as you enter.

6. Tree Works – The tree works identified in the recent survey by PJC Consultancy will be completed by James Wilson Tree Care, over the days of 9^th-12^th
7. Talbot Field – At the last council meeting the idea of using Talbot Field for allotments was raised. The Deputy Clerk has completed some research into the historical records surrounding how the Parish Council acquired Talbot Field. There is evidence that Talbot Field was, with the permission of Mrs Talbot and the Charity Commission, used for allotments during the second world war. Mrs Talbot specified that ‘it reverted to its present state on the cessation of hostilities.’

If this proposal were to be seriously considered, the following would need to be taken into account:

• There is no suitable car parking and no water supply at the site.
• The governing document of the charitable status states – “To maintain and manage an open space or recreation ground for the benefit of the public”.
• Local volunteer group, The Woodland Flora & Fauna group currently manage the space as a nature reserve that is rich in biodiversity and wildlife.
• When the land was gifted to the Parish of Clayton a Deed of Gift was created that contains restrictive covenants stating – The Recreation Ground shall be maintained and managed by the Parish Council as an open space for public use and for no other purpose whatsoever. Admission to the public space by the public at all times to remain free of charge.

These documents are available in the office files should any councillors wish to view them.

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Appendix 2

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL                 

To:      Grounds & Environment Committee                                

Date: 23^rd October 2025

Contacts for this report: Deputy Clerk                         

Subject: Agenda Item 8 – Tennis Courts Usage Review

On 10^th October the Clerk, Deputy Clerk and Cllr Shepherd met with representatives from the Tennis Club to discuss how we can work more closely together and help them promote the club.

The purpose of this report is to provide councillors with:

• Update on activities at the Tennis Courts.
• Proposal for a sustainable maintenance schedule.
• Proposal for a new fee structure for 26/27.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Tennis Coaching Timetable

Monday – Walking Tennis (12.30)

Tuesday – LTA Youth Juniors (16.00)

Wednesday- Beginners/improvers (9.00)

Thursday – Improver/Intermediate (10.00)

Friday- Ladies Social (12.45)

Sunday – Cardio Tennis and LTA Youth Juniors (9.00).

These coaching sessions are priced at £2 per hour per hourly court booking, based on a three-year agreement (2023-26).  Keith Brown offers this programme of drop-in classes plus individual coaching sessions and a 3-hour summer camp

Tennis Club Timetable (winter timings)

Tuesday 12pm – 2pm courts 1 & 2

Thursday 2pm – 4pm courts 1 & 2

Saturday 10am – 12pm courts 1,2 & 3

In addition, club members are able to book two free hours of court time weekly.

Pay & Play
In 2024/25, there were 510 Pay & Play bookings, approx. 6% of these were Concessions, with resulting income of £3,826 less Stripe fees of £243 for processing the online payments.  In addition, we received £690 from Keith Brown for coaching sessions and £1,771 from the Tennis Club making total income of £6044.   Pay & Play usage is increasing and we have already had 638 Pay & Play bookings in the current financial year (approx. 14% Concessions).

Pay & Play bookings are currently fixed at £7 and £3.50 for Concessions per hourly court booking which is the same as other MSDC owned courts, bookable through ClubSpark.

Current Charges

Adastra Tennis Club:

Adult members – £105.00 (7 members)

Concessionary members – £55 (18 members)

Couples – £160.00

Children of members – £20.00

The Club passes on these costs to the Members plus an additional sum of £10 each to cover club expenses.  In return they benefit from participation in Club sessions on Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday mornings, plus 2 hours of free court time per week for each member.

Maximum value of Club sessions bookings – £98.00 (14 hours of court time over three days)

Maximum value of additional 2 hours court time – £224.00 (50 hours of court time if all members used the sessions. 18 members paying £3.50 per hour, 7 members paying £7.00 per hour).

The public can only book 7 days in advance, club members can book 9 days in advance.

It is evident that club court usage is heavily subsidised by the Council and membership is limited.

To make the generous Club benefits available to the wider community it is suggested that membership is advertised more openly via the ClubSpark and the Council websites.  Members of the public would sign up online and the Council could collect the membership fees on behalf of the Club which would reduce administration and improve efficiency.

However, if there were more members taking advantage of the scheme we may need to limit the number of free members sessions.

Maintenance Programme
The tennis courts require regular maintenance to keep the courts in good condition and a new programme needs to be introduced from April 2026.  This will cost £8,000 per annum so the Council needs to increase income to ensure this programme can be achieved.

Task	Frequency	Cost
Sweep court areas, remove leaves, weeds and bird mess	Daily	–
Light surface wash and algaecide treatment	Annually	£1,050
Gate maintenance – SmartAccess Entry Maintenance Contract & Netcode Subscription	Annually	£600
Pressure wash cleaning	Annually	£2,850
Cut back trees – annual contribution toward costs	Every three years	£300
Full repainting – annual contribution toward costs	Every six years	£1,000
Resurfacing – annual contribution toward costs	x12 years	£2,200

 

Proposed new charges 2026/27:

Pay & Play – £7.30 / £3.65 Concessions
3.8% inflationary increase

Club Members – £130 Full / £100 Concessions (just 1 hour court booking per week included).
This would include Club expenses so £10 from each membership would go to the tennis club. (Adjustment may have to be made to allow for Stripe fees to process the income).
The couples & child memberships would no longer be offered.
In this scenario, if the tennis club increased membership by a third this would bring in £3210.00 per annum.

Example:
25 concession members – £2500

8 full members – £1040.00

Total £3540

Minus £330 in fees to the club = £3210.00

The increase for Concessionary club players is comparatively high but it still represents very good value for money as it reduces the cost. Assuming a member is playing for 6 months of the year, the cost is £4 per week for 7 hours of court time.

Additional sessions could be booked at regular Pay & Play Concessionary rates.

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Benchmarking – Haywards Heath Tennis Club

Age as at 1 April 2025 determines category.

Seniors (18-59)        £150.00 (1st year £115)

60 years +                £ 115.00 (1st year £90)

Students 17+            £ 69.00 (1st year £50)

The membership will include use of courts and the club’s balls.  You will also be provided with a MSDC Season Ticket to allow you to book courts outside of club times free of charge.

Juniors                      £ 59.00 (1st year £40)

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 Coaching Sessions – £2.95 per hour, per court
Cumulative 3.8% inflationary increase plus an additional 58p per hour toward overhead costs.

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Members are invited to approve the required maintenance schedule and corresponding increase in the fees to cover the programme.

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Appendix 3

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL                                                                                       

To:      Grounds & Environment Committee                                

Date: 23^rd October 2025

Contacts for this report: Deputy Clerk                         

Subject: Agenda Item 9 – Floral Displays

The purpose of this report is to invite Members to approve a contract with Greenscene Landscapes for a further year.

In line with Financial Regulation, section 5, Procurement. The Deputy Clerk contacted three companies to strive to obtain comparable quotes. This was unsuccessful, one did not respond, two replied to outline that the contract was outside their remit due to size and resources available.

1. PREVIOUS COSTS: At the G&E meeting held on 3^rd October 2024, Members:

i) RESOLVED to approve a further year contract with Greenscene Landscapes for the planting, installation and maintenance of 20 x half lamp post baskets and 5 x wall pots at a total cost of £1892.03 plus VAT for 2025. (Min ref: GE24/49.1)

ii) RESOLVED to approve a further year contract with Greenscene Landscapes at a total cost of £1694.88 plus VAT for 2025. To supply, install and maintain up to 32 planted baskets to businesses in Hassocks. Plus £6.00 per additional new bracket installed and £34.00 plus VAT per replacement basket as required. (Min ref: GE24/49.2)

iii) RESOLVED to approve a contract with Greenscene Landscapes for all year round planting and maintenance of 7 planters for a total cost of £2880.70 plus VAT. (Min ref: GE24/49.3) 

2025 TOTAL: £6467.61

2. FLORAL DISPLAYS 2026

• Planting, installation and maintenance of the Lamp Post floral displays for a further year at a cost of £2081.24 (plus VAT)
• Planting, installation and maintenance of the hanging baskets at a cost of £1864.36 (plus VAT) plus costs for additional baskets/brackets as required
• Planting and maintenance of 7 Planters between 1 April 2026-31 March 2027 at a cost of £3168.74 (plus VAT).
• TOTAL: £7114.10 ex VAT

3. Hanging Baskets – Members are invited to note that in 2025 the Council received uptake from local traders for 25 hanging baskets.

4. OFFICER RECOMMENDATION. Members are invited to approve:

i. The Lamp post basket contract for 2026 at a cost of £2081.24 plus VAT for 2026.

ii. The Hanging Basket contract for 2026 at a cost of £1864.36 plus VAT for up to 32 baskets, plus £8.00 plus VAT per replacement basket as required.

iii. The Year round planter contract from 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026 at a cost of £3168.74 plus VAT.

5. Grand Avenue Planters

Following a request from Hassocks Community Organisation, a quote has been obtained from Greenscene Landscapes for the Parish Council to add the maintenance of two wall planters, located at the junction of Keymer Road/Grand Avenue to the annual floral display budget.

The planters currently need emptying out, re-lining and this would be a good opportunity to fill with fresh compost. The cost to carry out the works would be £260.00 plus vat. Required only every 3-5 years.

2. To plant up for Summer Bedding to match colour scheme throughout high street £184.00 plus vat
3. To plant up for Winter Display to match colour scheme with Orion planters £184.00 plus vat
4. Maintenance of the planters, to include dead heading, weeding and regular watering through the growing season £336.00 plus vat annually.

TOTAL: £964 ex VAT

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Members are invited to approve the addition of the two planters to our annual programme.

6. Orion Parade Planter Relocation

This is to confirm that the first of the older planters outside the Sussex Grocer will need to be emptied and relocated to the junction of Ockley Lane/Keymer Road. The cost of this work is:

Emptied and after moving refilled, the cost to empty and re-fill with new soils and compost etc £158.00 plus vat

To move the planter to a new location in the village this would cost £280.00 plus vat

During the works in January 2026, the newer “Jubilee” planter currently at the end of the pavement will then be moved into the position where the older planter was moved from, to maintain the ‘bookend’ style of the matching planters. This will allow room for the new crossing and new bike racks to be installed.

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Appendix 4

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL                                                                                        

To:      Grounds & Environment Committee                                

Date: 23^rd October 2025

Contacts for this report: Deputy Clerk                         

Subject: Agenda Item 10 – Christmas lighting display

The purpose of this report is to propose the purchase or rent of a new ‘Merry Christmas’ motif to be displaying on the side wall of Hassocks Hardware. The current one was last refurbished in 2020.

Merry Christmas motif:

£1800.00 plus vat outright purchase

£700.00 p/a on 3 year purchase

£440.00 p/a on hire only.

It is wall mounted 5m x 1.5m (similar size to the old one), new and more modern looking.

Photo to follow…

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Members agree that a new motif is required and agree an appropriate method of purchase. There is £665 remaining in the Christmas lighting budget after hire of the existing column motifs, installation and removal. If members are minded to purchase, authorisation would be required from full council for the funding from general reserves.